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Manchester United’s most avid and ardent fans, who follow their team closely online, have surely been following Angel Gomes’ progress in recent months.
The 20-year-old playmaker left United in the summer, of course, and there is always a great sense of intrigue surrounding potential ‘lost’ academy talents like him. James Wilson still turns heads even though he plays for Salford City in League Two, while United fans will always retain a fond place in their hearts for players like Adnan Januzaj, who they will meet again in the Europa League last. February 32 when facing Real Sociedad.
Gomes will also remain in the memory, partly because of his great talent, his diminutive stature and the fact that he made his way, at 16, at United under José Mourinho. After receiving a senior debut against Crystal Palace in May 2017, there was always a great deal of attention on Gomes. And not many from the academy had the opportunity with Mourinho.
But the following years, with both the Portuguese and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, did not bring the opportunities that many had anticipated for the talented number 10. In his final season at Old Trafford, both Gomes and contemporary Tahith Chong were stuck in the most place. quirky – too good for United Under-23s, but oddly something was missing when first-team opportunities came. Gomes ended his United career without ever having started a Premier League game; his only starts in 2019/20 were in the Europa League.
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Many were able to understand his decision to leave United in the summer, turning down the opportunity to stick with an extended two-year contract, as Chong did, and go on loan.
There were rumors of a move to Chelsea or Barcelona, but in the end the eyebrows rose when Gomes chose Lille as his next destination. The immediate loan to Portuguese club Boavista made the most sense, given Gomes’s Portuguese heritage and the fact that he speaks the language. And he has settled down quite well in Portugal’s first division, clearly prioritizing the need to play matches to advance his career, a guarantee he did not receive at United.
Gomes recently admitted in an interview with him Independent that it was hard to say goodbye to his childhood club.
“It’s such a special club, but I just wanted to be able to play and express myself,” he said, explaining his decision to leave. “I was offered a great contract, I had all my family and friends around me, but I decided that I was willing to sacrifice it to follow a different path. It’s hard to understand how difficult that decision was.
“I knew it would be difficult, but I didn’t understand how emotional it would be.
“I’m still a United fan. Now I still watch all the games, be it the first team or the U18s. I could have stayed on and given up, but I felt like I needed a fresh start. “
It has helped him establish himself in Portugal by none other than Bruno Fernandes and there is no shortage of irony in that. The arrival of Fernandes, and now Donny van de Beek, has surely vindicated Gomes’ decision. Perhaps in time it will be revealed whether Gomes was up to the task to succeed at United, but he feels justified in taking the step elsewhere and wants to return to Lille next season for the next logical step, having scored three goals in his first. five appearances in Boavista.
United fans used to consider him and Chong at the same time. The latter is now on loan to Werder Bremen, fighting for his future at United, but Gomes has that “fresh start” and appears to be thriving.
Manchester United faced Leeds in their first Premier League match in 16 years.
The Reds won 6-2 at Old Trafford, after being put on the road by two goals from Scott McTominay in the first three minutes. More punches from Bruno Fernandes, Victor Lindelof and Daniel James completed the hammering of Pennine’s cross rivals.
And after beating Everton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, United are now preparing to face Leicester on Boxing Day.
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From United’s perspective, it’s quite possible they kept the wrong player and let the wrong one go.
That remains to be seen in its entirety. Gomes could still return to frequent his old club. If they finish their season in Portugal strong, they might still have let the next Fernandes slip away.
The potential of this angel is still not entirely clear, this Christmas.
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