MANCHESTER UNITED reportedly discovered ‘gem’ Vinicius Jr in 2014 – but failed to sign him.
The 21-year-old winger is currently starring for Real Madrid after joining from Flamengo on his 18th birthday in 2018.
Vinicius Jr is one of the most talented youngsters around – but Man Utd missed out on the chance to sign him Credit: EPA But according to ESPN, it could have been very different with the forward representing that famous red shirt of Manchester.
Carlos Noval, who was an academy coach at Flamengo, explained: “A foreign scout from Manchester United said: ‘Noval, look at the player you have, he’s a gem!
“‘I’ve never seen a 14-year-old player do what he does.’
“That reinforced everything we already had in mind. He was a gem to be polished. Everyone wanted Vinicius.”
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Get £45 in FREE BETS for Punchestown with Paddy Power As you might expect, there were a number of clubs eyeing swooping for Vinicius Jr at that time.
Noval continued: “Corinthians didn’t get to talk to us because they didn’t have the slightest chance.
“Barcelona, in particular, monitored this boy since he was 13 years old. Real Madrid and most of the big European clubs too.”
Noval says that it was “guaranteed success” for Vinicius Jr, who is now showing the Bernabeu crowd just what he can do.
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Vinicius Jr was part of the Real Madrid side that narrowly lost out in a barnstorming Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City.
That game finished 4-3 at the Etihad with the second leg to follow at the Bernabeu.
During the clash, Vinicius Jr scored a stunning goal, with many football fans scoffing that a piece of skill in the build-up had erased Fernandinho’s career after nutmegging the Brazilian.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
