Coming through the ranks at Manchester United, there was a lot of hope placed on Angel Gomes, who is now playing at Lille in France.
Moving to Manchester at the age of two, the midfielder signed his licence with the Red Devils when he was nine, and gradually made his way to the first-team, for whom he made 10 appearances in all competitions.
Despite making Manchester United his debut at 16 under José Mourinho, the now 22-year-old felt he needed more opportunities to develop, which ended up in him running down his contract at Old Trafford and moving to the Ligue 1 side on a free.
He didn’t automatically start there, loaned immediately to Boavista in Portugal, eventually returning to Lille with more experience, which he’s putting to use these days.
That being said, he’s never forgotten his experiences at Manchester United, who still hold a special place in his heart, and seemingly always will do.
Speaking at length about his childhood with Lille’s official website, Gomes was asked about his first experiences with the Old Trafford side’s first-team.
He said: “It’s true that I was lucky enough to make my debut with the pros very quickly. I was 16, and found myself propelled with incredible players around me like Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, with José Mourinho as manager.
“I was there, in the middle, I saw these guys. I thought it was crazy, but I was able to seize the opportunities offered to me by the manager. I had a good season. It was fantastic to live that at my club, that of my city, where I grew up.”
