Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has revealed in a column about Jude Bellingham how United’s desperate attempts to secure the England star’s services ended in failure before he left for Germany at the age of 17.
“He has everything: athleticism, stature, vision and skill […] I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when he didn’t sign for Manchester United,” Robson wrote.
“When I went to see him in Birmingham, I knew he was going to be a top player. I met him and his parents, Mark and Denise, with Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. We did what we could to convince him to come, but in the end he chose Borussia Dortmund.“
The story, which has been published as an extended version via The Athletic, has brought to light the disagreements between John Murtough, the Premier League club’s football director, and their iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
It was an internal quarrel that shook the foundations of Old Trafford after he failed in his attempt to convince the player – currently contracted to Real Madrid – to sign for them in 2020.
A visit to Carrington… but no Ferguson talks
In March 2020, United’s manager at the time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, requested the signing of Bellingham, who at the age of 16 was already starting to make a name for himself at Birmigham City in the Championship.
The Norwegian coach and the Red Devils’ board of directors arranged for the English midfielder and his family to visit the club’s training ground at Carrington to learn first-hand about the player’s intentions and meet with his entourage.
Solskjaer and his coaching staff prepared a detailed presentation to convince Bellingham, and the icing on the cake would see Ferguson make an appearance to convince the player. However, Murtough did not want Ferguson and Bellingham to have a chat, as he aimed to secure the deal himself.
It was only days later that the Scot learned of what happened and he was left furious, demanding an explanation during a verbal confrontation with Murtough. He denied claims that he had avoided scheduling the meeting and put it down to a misunderstanding.
The making of Bellingham
Pep Clotet, another key figure in his career who discovered Bellingham at Birmingham, spoke of his incredible mentality despite his young age. “One day, the director said: ‘Jude is not going to be here today, because we have allowed him to go to a meeting with Manchester United’. But Jude ended up refusing to miss any training,” Clotet said.
