December 23rd 2023.
Sir Alex Ferguson was absolutely furious with Manchester United football director John Murtough after the club's failed pursuit of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
In 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had invited Ferguson to meet Bellingham at United's Carrington training ground as part of a charm offensive to persuade the 16-year-old to move to Old Trafford.
However, according to the Athletic, Bellingham's meeting with Ferguson was cut short when the teenager was led away by Murtough for a tour of the training ground. Murtough insists his intention was not to interrupt the meeting, but Ferguson was livid. This led to a face-to-face argument with Murtough at a later date.
Ultimately, United were left to rue Murtough's decision as Bellingham rejected United for a £25m move to Dortmund. Bellingham has since completed a £100m transfer to Real Madrid and is now widely regarded as one of the best players on the planet.
United also missed out on Erling Haaland in January 2020, when the Norwegian opted to join Dortmund over United in a £20m deal. Haaland has since scored an impressive 71 goals in 76 matches for Manchester City, who he joined in a £62m deal three years later.
John Murtough's future at Manchester United is up in the air. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to redeem himself and prove himself to be a valuable asset to the club.
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