22 December 2023 , 15:49
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When Sir Jim Ratcliffe reviews the role of Manchester United football director John Murtough, he better brace himself if he wants a second opinion from Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ratcliffe remains in the midst of a deal that will see him become a 25 per cent stakeholder at Old Trafford. The OCG Nice owner is expected to be handed control of footballing operations by the Glazer family, with addressing United's notorious transfer policy among his challenges.
And yet, the British businessman could be walking into a different situation if the club had the services of the star widely perceived to currently be the best player in the world. Back in March 2020, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still manager, they seemingly missed out on a golden opportunity.
Ferguson, arguably the club's most iconic figure having overseen an unprecedented era of success before stepping down in 2013, was called upon by Solskjaer to attend a visit of Jude Bellingham. The now Real Madrid midfielder visited Carrington while he was still on the books at Birmingham City.
The Norwegian and his coaching staff had prepared a detail presentation to impress the 20-year-old, in a bid to persuade him to sign. And the now 81-year-old Scot was asked to offer some inspirational words for Bellingham, designed to seal the deal.
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However, according to the Athletic, although Ferguson and the 16-year-old shook hands, Murtough then opted to intervene. Rather than give the pair time to talk, the teenager and his parents were ushered away for a hurried tour of the training facilities.
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Jude Bellingham has made an incredible start to life at Real Madrid (Soeren Stache/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)The incident is said to have enraged Ferguson, who reportedly made his brutal feelings known to Murtough. For his part Murtough, who has also worked at Everton and Coventry, later denied interrupting the meeting and cited a misunderstanding.
Bellingham duly turned town the prospect of a move to Manchester, instead opting to go to Borussia Dortmund in Germany for a bargain £25million price. Last summer, he joined Real Madrid for an initial fee of £88million, and has since taken La Liga by storm.
Bellingham has scored 13 times in the Spanish top-flight this season, and 17 in all competitions for his club. He's also become a mainstay in the England side under Gareth Southgate.