Bryan Robson, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Eric Cantona became confident that Jude Bellingham would join Manchester United, after meeting with the midfielder before his transfer to Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham, who switched from Birmingham to Dortmund, has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe and is anticipated to play a significant role for England in the World Cup in Qatar.
He is currently frequently linked with leaving the Bundesliga team, with the best Premier League teams reportedly fighting for his services next summer. However, he could have easily spent the previous two seasons with United, and Robson has admitted he initially believed he had made the decision to move to Old Trafford.
The Borussia Dortmund star is one of the most exciting young players in football, and when he was a promising Birmingham prodigy, United put out the red carpet to try to sign him.
He ultimately decided to continue his training with Borussia Dortmund, where the 19-year-old has since played 100 times, solidifying his position as one of the most important players in the league.
He, Eric Cantona, and Sir Alex Ferguson were sent to bring him to Old Trafford at United’s Carrington training facility. As reported by The Sun, he said:
“I definitely think he might have a bit of me in him. It’s all very well flying forward and trying to score but it’s also about protecting your back four. That was something I always believed that you had to do as a midfielder.
“I watched him closely playing against City and you could see how much he’s progressed since we thought we had landed him at Manchester United a couple of years ago.”
“But you can see why he has become such a big target in the market because he is such a big talent. And if he keeps performing as he did against City he will be a big part of England’s World Cup bid.”
Liverpool are currently leading the race to sign the young starlet and it seems that United have to play the hardball to win the race.
The 19-year-old could be a long-term replacement for Christiano Eriksen and Ten Hag would be open to the idea of signing the English midfielder.
However, signing him would not come cheap as his contract with the German side runs until 2025. Dortmund would ask for a fee of around £100 million but it would not be a big issue for the Red Devils since they have splashed out such a big fee to sign Antony this summer.
