Manchester United see Angel Gomes and Jude Bellingham as generational talents - but a huge decision awaits
Manchester United have spent the last six months trying to secure the signings of two of the most talented teenagers in world football.
They are prepared to pay in the region of £30million to lure Jude Bellingham from Birmingham this summer.
The other is Angel Gomes – already on the books at Old Trafford, but set to become a free agent at the end of next month.
United are still desperately trying to convince the 19-year-old that his future remains at the club after seeing all their offers rejected so far. And there remains real hope a compromise can yet be reached with a deal worth in excess of £30,000-a-week for a player who has made only one first team start.
Like Bellingham, Gomes is considered a generational talent.
Handed a senior debut before he’d even played for United’s reserves, he was the club’s youngest player to appear for the first team since Duncan Edwards, then aged 16.
A playmaker with a deft touch, lightning quick feet and vision, he models his game on Andres Iniesta and is precisely the type of player United have been crying out for since Paul Scholes hung up his boots for a second time.
There is no coincidence in that either.
At its best under Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s academy coaches would be instructed to fill emerging gaps in the first team.
Before Ferguson retired in 2013, central defence was identified as an area in need of address, with Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand both in the latter stages of their careers.
Scott McTominay was considered a potential solution before establishing himself in midfield.
James Garner – an elegant defensive midfielder – is seen as a player capable of filling the role vacated by Michael Carrick.
Gomes, meanwhile, is that elusive No.10 that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been determined to find ever since succeeding Jose Mourinho 18 months ago.
The Norwegian is targeting Jack Grealish and James Maddison this summer in an attempt to add that creative spark to his midfield – but in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, even United are having to review transfer spending.
If Gomes can fulfil the promise that those within the club believe he has, he could save Solskjaer a fortune.
Former academy director Nicky Butt is one of his biggest champions. Now in charge of first-team development, Butt’s role is to oversee that progress from the academy to the seniors.
He has made a spectacular start since taking up his new position last summer.
Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams have been the standout successes, while Gomes and Tahith Chong have been slower burns.
Still, Butt’s belief in Chong contributed to the winger being handed a two-year extension amid interest from Inter Milan – and he is desperate to see Gomes given a chance to prove himself, with Chelsea among the clubs linked with him.
Gomes has been tipped for the top from an early age.
As an Under-17s World Cup winner with England, he was alongside Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Callum Hudson-Odoi in a squad of prodigious talent.
Sancho leads the way from the Three Lions’ class of 2017 – and will head to Old Trafford himself if United are successful in their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund winger when the transfer window opens.
Foden, meanwhile, is set to be given the chance to fill the void left by David Silva’s impending departure from Manchester City – and Hudson-Odoi is seen as pivotal to Frank Lampard’s plans at Chelsea.
Gomes is trailing that trio in terms of his development, with his diminutive stature leaving question marks hanging over his ability to thrive in the Premier League.
Standing at just 5’5”, he is yet to transfer his influence at age-group football to the senior game. It’s hardly surprising then that he looks to the great Barcelona team of Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi as inspiration - all faced with similar physical obstacles to overcome. It’s notable, too, that the Catalan giants have been listed among his admirers.
As a free agent, Gomes was always going to be in high demand at the end of the season.
After the devastating financial impact of Covid-19, he is even more valuable to clubs looking for ways to game the market. And it offers all the more motivation to United to try to reach an agreement.
The issue for Solskjaer has been to convince Gomes and his father, Gil, who negotiated his first professional contract, that his opportunities will not be blocked by United’s planned transfer business.
The signing of Grealish or Maddison directly impacts the teenager’s prospects in his preferred position at No.10.
And Bruno Fernandes’ arrival, coupled with the possibility that Paul Pogba could stay on, means opportunities are already limited.
At the same time, Solskjaer needs to be convinced Gomes is ready to make an impact next season, having made little impression on the first team this term.
United’s manager has already proved he will give youth a chance, with Greenwood and Williams both cases in point.
Bellingham has already been told he will be expected to immediately compete for a first team place, despite still being 16 years old.
The Birmingham prodigy will present yet another obstacle to Gomes, who is already finding the route to the top at United an uncertain one.
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