Jesse Lingard sued over £1.6m debt

There was once upon a time when Jesse Lingard, who emerged from Manchester United’s academy ranks, was viewed as the next big thing – but his career has drifted into obscurity, both on and off the pitch.

Although Lingard made his senior debut while on loan at Leicester City in 2012, the plan was always for him to return to his boyhood club with minutes under his belt and a point to prove.

In fact, upon his return from his King Power Stadium spell, he was a regular at Old Trafford until 2019 when he fell down the pecking order under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Moving to West Ham United on loan for the second half of the 2020/21 campaign somewhat revived his hopes of picking up a move away from United – and that came in the form of joining Nottingham Forest in 2022.

Things didn’t quite work out for the Englishman after he joined Forest on a free transfer four years ago after shining in the capital.

As a start of a new adventure, he moved to FC Seoul in South Korea and became an instant sensation. His arrival resulted in a wave of excitement took over the vibrant city – but he left the club in early 2026.

Now, Lingard has officially joined Sport Club Corinthians Paulista in Brazil where he will link up with ex-United forward Memphis Depay.

In the same timeframe that his move to Brazil was confirmed, it has now been reported – by The Sun – that his image rights company has been ‘wound up by the courts’ after racking up a debt of £1.6 million.

The High Court has shut down one of the 33-year-old’s companies, JL Commercial Limited, as a result.

According to the report, legal action was brought by a law firm over unpaid money, which has ultimately resulted in forcing the company to close.

The law firm in question are Pinsent Masons, who were owed money by the forward’s company and therefore initiated a winding-up petition.

Lingard, who launched his own football shirt in early February 2026 while looking for a new club, set up JL Commercial Limited back in 2018 as a means of handling his commercial endeavours.

That included the handling of his trademark brand – including his JLingz clothing line and memorable JL celebration, which was produced every time he scored a goal.

Jesse Lingard applied for trademarks covering clothing, footwear, hats and his goal celebration – but his latest accounts made for grim reading.

In The Sun’s report, the latest numbers showed the firm had debts of £1,562,092 – including £22,500 in bank loans and £36,602 owed to HMRC in outstanding tax.

Back in July 2025, the footballer found himself in hot water as his clothing company ‘Be Yourself Clothing Ltd’ had failed to file accounts since early 2023 and was subsequently removed from Companies House.