April 10th 2024.
Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Alex Ferguson all tried to convince 16-year-old Jude Bellingham to sign for Manchester United back in 2020. However, despite their best efforts, the talented midfielder ended up joining Borussia Dortmund instead.
Bellingham, who became Birmingham City's youngest ever player at just 16 years old in 2019, caught the eye of several big clubs including Manchester United. The Red Devils even welcomed him and his family to the club to speak with current club leaders and some United legends.
Robson, who was part of the delegation alongside Cantona and Ferguson, recalls the disappointing outcome of their efforts. "We thought we had him in the bag," he told The Telegraph. "But me and Eric did a rubbish job as he signed for Borussia!"
Another United great, Rio Ferdinand, shed some light on the situation earlier this season. According to him, Bellingham wanted assurances of being a first-team player at United, which the club was not willing to give. This ultimately led to his decision to join Bundesliga side Dortmund.
But Bellingham's decision has proven to be a successful one, as he has scored 20 goals in his debut season for Real Madrid after signing from Dortmund last summer. Ferdinand commented on his impressive performance, saying, "I told you guys, you didn't believe me, did you?"
Meanwhile, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford are not convinced by current United manager Erik ten Hag, but the club is facing a major problem. Paul Scholes also recently criticized Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho for their lack of training standards at the club.
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