Jesse Lingard is 5,500 miles from location - but immoderate things ne'er change.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the erstwhile England planetary reflects connected the trials and tribulations that person led him to play for Seoul FC successful South Korea's bustling superior city.
Manchester United, though, are ne'er excessively acold from his mind. When they faced Tottenham successful the Europa League last past week, helium was tuned in.
"I watched it. It was connected 4am my clip - truthful I went to furniture astatine 9pm and acceptable my alarm," says Lingard.
"I had to ticker the final. My emotion and enactment volition ever beryllium with United. I inactive ticker their games oregon drawback highlights."
On reflection, Lingard whitethorn consciousness it wasn't worthy the hassle. His boyhood nine mislaid 1-0, successful a crippled panned arsenic 1 of the worst European finals successful caller history.
But contempt his caller beingness successful south-east Asia, the 32-year-old's affection for United hasn't waned.
"They volition ever beryllium 1 of the biggest clubs successful the satellite and supporters volition enactment them done heavy and thin," helium says.
"It mightiness beryllium a semipermanent task with [Ruben] Amorim. He knows what helium wants to do.
"It's pugnacious erstwhile you're not successful the Champions League to pull players truthful helium was relying connected winning the Europa League.
"It's harder to enlistee erstwhile you're not successful the Champions League. It's 100% a factor."
The eight-hour clip quality doesn't conscionable make difficulties successful presumption of Lingard watching his beloved Manchester United.
When helium embarked connected his caller adventure, helium knew helium would bash truthful without his girl Hope and parent Kirsty.
His household person made the travel to Seoul to sojourn Lingard, but staying adjacent tin beryllium tricky.
"It's conscionable Facetime calls, really. It's pugnacious due to the fact that you privation to beryllium determination successful existent life," says Lingard.
"But what's bully is that my girl understands what I'm doing and wherefore I'm doing it.
"She is ever connected the Nintendo DS, playing with FC Seoul and scoring goals playing arsenic me.
"But it is hard with Facetime due to the fact that we are 8 hours up truthful you person to drawback her astatine the close time."
But Lingard has nary regrets that his vocation has taken him to South Korea.
Leaving Manchester United was a wrench. He'd spent 22 years astatine Old Trafford earlier leaving for Nottingham Forest successful 2022.
The determination to the City Ground didn't spell according to program – an wounded deed run restricted Lingard to 12 Premier League starts earlier his 12-month declaration expired successful the summertime of 2023.
Lingard does person regrets astir the Forest move. He could person gone to West Ham, wherever helium had enjoyed a resurgence during a six-month indebtedness stint successful 2021.
He had done truthful good astatine London Stadium that helium was recalled into the provisional England squad for the delayed Euro 2020, conscionable missing the chopped for the last party.
Under David Moyes, the Warrington-born footballer produced immoderate of the champion shot of his career.
So erstwhile the accidental arose to beryllium reunited with Moyes connected a imperishable ground successful the summertime of 2022, Lingard's bosom was already successful eastbound London.
So wherefore did helium extremity up astatine Forest?
"The Forest deal, erstwhile we were going done that - and I don't privation to spell into excessively overmuch item - but I wasn't successful power of thing astatine that time," helium says.
"I fundamentally didn't person a choice. I knew what I wanted to do, I knew what connection was connected the array from West Ham and what was connected connection from Forest - determination was a spot I'd person preferred to go.
"But radical person their ain accidental and astatine the clip I didn't truly consciousness similar I could dependable my opinion.
"Now I tin spot radical didn't person my champion interests [at heart]. But evidently West Ham didn't happen. I went to Forest.
"The Forest happening happened for a reason, for maine to find retired definite things."
Lingard has recovered bid of caput crossed the different broadside of the world.
His commencement successful South Korea didn't spell according to plan; meniscus country curtailed his advancement during his archetypal season.
Slowly but surely, however, Lingard is rediscovering his emotion for the game.
He says helium is arsenic acceptable and beardown arsenic helium has ever been.
"I'm moving betwixt 10km to 12km each game, my high-speed runs are ever high," Lingard says.
Playing successful the vigor takes its toll, but the gruelling conditions person forced Lingard to find greater levels of self-discipline.
"I've been injury-free the full season, taking attraction of my body, recovering better, eating the close foods. Being professional," Lingard says.
"In England I had my cook and idiosyncratic trainer with me. Here it is wholly different. I've got to bash it connected my own.
"I retrieve 1 of the archetypal games successful Jeju - I felt similar I was blowing aft a mates of minutes. So humid.
"The tempo is precocious retired here, the games are intense. At the start, I wasn't fit, but erstwhile I recovered the bushed I got utilized to it."
The symptom of leaving Manchester United is down Lingard, and the unease of his determination to Nottingham Forest has gone.
While galore would question his determination to permission European shot for South Korea, Lingard is enjoying his shot - and enjoying his life.
"At the clip I wasn't playing astatine United, I became stressed due to the fact that each I wanted to bash was play shot - and erstwhile you go stressed you go distracted," Lingard says.
"I'm retired present to find peace. Happiness is bid astatine the extremity of the day. If you tin find that, it doesn't substance wherever you are.
"I'm inactive playing shot and I'm enjoying myself. I inactive person galore years of playing shot up of maine - I'm 32 but the stats don't amusement that I'm 32.
"I tin play for a agelong time. It has 100% been the close choice. It was a caller start, to get my happiness backmost playing football, that was the main thing.
"It's been an astonishing experience. Different cultures, the radical are amazing, the metropolis is amazing.
"I consciousness I've travel connected leaps and bounds mentally. I deliberation the determination has improved my outlook connected life."
Seoul volition intelligibly ever person a peculiar spot successful Lingard's heart. But the future?
Lingard's declaration expires astatine the extremity of the existent K-League play successful November, but FC Seoul person an enactment to widen his woody by a further 12 months.
"I've thought astir the aboriginal rather a bit," adds Lingard.
"Not overmuch tin hap this play truthful I conscionable privation to ore connected football. But different possibilities are retired determination - of people you are going to deliberation astir it.
"We are lone human. We volition spot what happens erstwhile the [transfer] model opens."
English (US) ·