Speaking ahead of Manchester United’s clash against Brighton, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Angel Gomes is set to leave the club.
What’s the word?
The academy starlet’s future has been up in the air for many months now, with speculation linking him with a move away from Old Trafford once his contract had expired.
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And with Gomes’ deal coming to an end on June 30, Solskjaer has delivered a worrying update on the situation. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “I’ve not heard from him last night or this morning so it seems like they haven’t managed to agree anything. The answer is probably short – yes (he will be leaving).”
Pogba deja vu
As United themselves have seen before, watching a talented youngster leave the club on a free could come back to haunt them big time. The Red Devils saw Paul Pogba make his departure from Old Trafford a few years ago, before turning into a world-renowned star at Serie A giants Juventus.
Whilst Gomes has seen the likes of Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams overtake him in terms of first-team progression, there’s no question that he is still very highly-rated by those in and around the club. Head of first-team development Nicky Butt even insisted that his “talent is unbelievable”, and that “if it all comes together then we’ve got one hell of a player on our hands”.
With Chelsea reported to be one of the clubs interested in snapping Gomes up, United are in major danger of seeing one of their own prodigious prospects going on to join a direct rival and potentially developing into a star there. And in a couple of years time, Ed Woodward and co may look back at this moment and rue the fact they didn’t try harder to get him to stay.
