Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham has been praised by Gary Neville for ignoring his “magic” Manchester United transfer advice.
The England international midfielder held talks with the Red Devils before severing ties with boyhood club Birmingham in 2020. Despite meeting with Premier League heavyweights at Old Trafford, Bellingham opted to leave his comfort zone and link up with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
He has since earned a €103 million (£89m/$113m) move to Madrid, with Neville conceding that the 20-year-old was right to ignore his apparent words of wisdom.
Red Devils legend Neville has told Sky Sports: “I’ve spoken to a couple of players before they’ve come here and said ‘you’ll never regret it, it’s a magic football club’. But I have to say looking back, it looks like pretty poor advice with what’s happened to them since they’ve come and it’s really sad. They would have thrived at other clubs. Other players who have chosen other clubs have gone on to be really successful.
“You think of Jude Bellingham, and I think of that quite a lot, when he walks into the boardroom here at Man United, United have agreed a fee with Birmingham, and so have Dortmund. He has a choice between Dortmund and United. And somehow that kid, well done to him, chose Borussia Dortmund, and he’s now one of the greatest players in the world, one of the greatest English talents. What would have happened to him if he’d come here? I don’t know, maybe he would have been a success because he’s that good. I’m not so sure in the current environment and culture and what’s been happening.”
Bellingham contributed 49 goal contributions through 132 appearances for Dortmund, with his stock soaring in Germany to the point that he became of obvious interest to La Liga giants Real – who are forever in the market for players that fit their ‘Galacticos’ recruitment model.
Bellingham has continued to star in Spain, registering 17 goals and six assists in 24 outings, and is the current holder of prestigious Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards. United are being left to mull over what could have been, with the Red Devils finding little value in the big-money deals that they have completed in recent transfer windows.
