Legendary former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly left furious after he was unable to speak directly to Jude Bellingham and the midfielder's family during a tour of the club's facilities in 2020.
Man United were thought to be the favourites to sign Bellingham, who was 16 at the time, from Birmingham City, with the youngster touring the English club's facilities in March 2020.
However, it was Borussia Dortmund that ultimately won the race for the Englishman, who spent two seasons with the German giants before moving to Real Madrid over the summer.
The 20-year-old has been in incredible form for Los Blancos during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 17 goals and registering five assists in 21 appearances in all competitions.
Bellingham has a contract at Bernabeu until June 2029, and he has already become arguably their most important player despite not even being at the club six months.
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According to The Athletic, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was Man United boss at the time, believed that giving Ferguson the chance to speak to Bellingham and his family could have potentially convinced the midfielder to make the move to Old Trafford.
However, the report claims that football director John Murtough had a different view, and Bellingham only shook hands with Ferguson before being led away to continue the tour.
Ferguson was allegedly left furious at not being given the chance to speak to the teenager, which led to a fall-out between the Scot and Murtough.
Bellingham went on to score 24 goals and register 25 assists in 132 appearances for Dortmund, and Man United were believed to be one of a number of clubs interested in bringing him back to England.
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At one stage, Liverpool were seemingly best-placed to sign Bellingham, with Manchester City also said to have made an attempt to acquire him during the recent market.
However, Real Madrid won the race for his signature, and he has starred in a number 10 position for Carlo Ancelotti's side during the 2023-24 campaign.
Murtough's future at Old Trafford is currently unclear, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to be planning changes to the football department upon his arrival.
Ratcliffe's deal to purchase 25% of the club is said to be reaching its final stages, with an announcement set to arrive in the near future.
At one stage, it looked certain that Murtough would depart, but recent reports have suggested that there could be a position for him at the club under Ratcliffe.
Matt Law
