Bryan Robson revealed that Manchester United were close to signing Jude Bellingham before the midfielder opted to join Borussia Dortmund
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Bellingham met with Robson, Eric Cantona at United training ground
- Sir Alex Ferguson also present at meeting
- Bellingham opted to sign for Borussia Dortmund
-
WHAT HAPPENED?
Robson, a Man United stalwart throughout the 1980s, attempted to convince Bellingham to sign for the club in 2020. The 16-year-old met with United legends and Ferguson in 2020 at Carrington, but spurned the club's interest.
Advertisement
- Getty Images
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Bellingham was subject to interest from several top clubs before penning a long-term contract with Dortmund in 2020. United were among the curious parties, but were unable to offer assurances about playing time. The English midfielder became a regular at Dortmund, who paid £25m ($30m) for his services, almost immediately.
-
WHAT BRYAN ROBSON SAID
The former Red Devils midfielder admitted he thought Bellingham would sign for the club: "It was really disappointing. We were at Carrington and Sir Alex Ferguson was there a little earlier than I was, but Eric and I met him, and his mum and dad, and we were chatting away. “It was really looking promising that he was going to be signing for Manchester United… me and Eric did a rubbish job as he signed for Borussia! We thought we had him in the bag!”
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
- Getty Images
WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?
Bellingham is set to be among the Madrid squad when they face Mallorca in La Liga play on Saturday. After that, he is expected to play a key role when Los Blancos take on Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash next Wednesday, with the tie finely poised after a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu.