Over the summer, a number of Premier League clubs were interested in signing Christopher Bonsu Baah from Sarpsborg 08, who actually had a chance to impress Manchester United in the past.
The 18-year-old eventually signed for KRC Genk, where he has become something of a teenage sensation, playing a good number of minutes despite his young age.
However, there was a time when the youngster was touring some of the biggest clubs in the Europe, including Manchester United, as he revealed in an interview with De Zondag, relayed by Voetbal Nieuws.
He said: “At the age of 14, I was allowed to go to an academy, the Shooting Stars, in Accra, and two years later, an agent brought me to Spain. I was allowed to trial everywhere: at Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Manchester United… But because I was not yet 18, I couldn’t get a professional contract. (Smiles) It’s good that I have a lot of patience.”
He eventually signed for Sarpsborg 08 in Norway last March, and took just four months to earn himself a transfer to Genk, who paid €5.2m to get him despite him only ever making 15 appearances, scoring one goal and assisting another two.
For Bonsu Baah, this was the best move after learning about Genk from their development of stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois: “The fact that I can now also play here is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.”
Whether Manchester United continued to follow him after his trial isn’t said, but they certainly had the chance to see him up close, and probably will have been aware that he was available this summer.
