Jesse Lingard reveals he cried when he missed out on Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2020 squad

The Manchester United forward was named to Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate’s initial 33-man roster, but was then left out of the final 26-man squad.

During the Euros, Lingard shifted his focus to supporting England from the pub.

In spite of the fact that he scored nine goals while on loan at West Ham United during the second part of last season.

As for Lingard, he recently spoke about his disappointment at not making it to the European Championships in his native Sweden.

Speaking to The Players’ Tribune, he stated, “I honestly believed I had done enough to earn a spot in the final 26 for the European Championships back in June.” I obviously appreciated Gareth’s decision, but when I called my brother to tell him, I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing. The other person who sobbed was Lou (his brother).”

Despite his heartbreaking disappointment, Lingard returned home and continued to support his England teammates throughout the international event.

The Englishman publicly recorded his enthusiasm for the national team during their Euro 2016 opening against Croatia, posting images and videos on social media of himself in a local bar wearing an England shirt during the match.

Now he has opened up about the antics that took place on that particular day, which included having Declan Rice written on the back of his shirt, jumping on the DJ decks, and carrying a parrot on his shoulder.

 

Lingard was photographed with a parrot on his shoulder while wearing an England shirt with the slogan “Rice 4.”

Lingard was photographed with a parrot on his shoulder while wearing a ‘Rice 4’ England shirt. Image courtesy of Instagram user @jesselingard.

“Two years ago, hearing that news would have utterly killed me,” he continued. “Fortunately, things are looking up for me right now. I wasn’t going to stay around and mope after the fellas kicked off the game with the opener. My participation in the game may have been limited, but I was still a fan, right??

“So I put on a shirt — it had to say RICE 4 on the back because it was close to December — and went to a pub with Lou and some of his pals. I was strolling around with a parrot — how strange is that? — and all of a sudden, the bird is sitting exactly on my shoulder, watching us beat Croatia!!

If England are playing, you’ve got to appreciate the excitement in the pub — and the energy, too.” I snapped a few photos and signed a few autographs. I’m not sure how it happened, but before I knew it, I was behind the turntables!

“Wow, what a fantastic afternoon. I’ll tell every player that they should join the supporters in a pub at least once during their playing career. “It simply provides you with a different point of view.”

As a result of his performance at the Euros, Lingard has pushed his way back into the England squad.

And he showed his appreciation for Southgate’s faith in him by scoring twice in a 4-0 triumph over Andorra earlier this month.