Manchester United pulled out all the stops to sign Jude Bellingham this summer. The Birmingham City star and England Under-17 international ticked all the boxes for United in their recruitment process: a young British player with supreme levels of technical ability and tactical understanding and a motivation to reach the top level.In March, United’s flirting with the midfielder became an open courtship.
He was given a guided tour of the club’s Carrington training facilities, was introduced to Sir Alex Ferguson, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the club’s chief transfer negotiator Matt Judge, and Eric Cantona was even said to have had a role in the charm offensive.