‘He was coming to Man United but..’ – Marcus Rashford reveals emotional moment Jude Bellingham told him why he snubbed Man United for Real Madrid after meeting Sir Alex Ferguson

‘He was coming to Man United but..’ – Marcus Rashford reveals emotional moment Jude Bellingham told him why he snubbed Man United for Real Madrid after meeting Sir Alex Ferguson

Jude Bellingham had the choice between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund when he chose to leave Birmingham three years ago but opted to a move to Germany despite meeting Sir Alex Ferguson

Jude Bellingham chose to snub Manchester United when he made his first career move in 2020, opting to join Borussia Dortmund instead.

The then-teenage sensation had only played at Birmingham for a single season but had the eyes of Europe on him.

It became clear he’d leave St Andrew’s and United hoped they could be his destination, inviting Bellingham and his family to the training ground to meet the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Despite being given the grand tour they opted for a switch to Germany, by no means the conventional route.

Jude Bellingham’s family though thought that a move to Dortmund would provide their son with a quicker pathway to the top, given how young players were given an opportunity in the Bundesliga.

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Man United legend Bryan Robson, who also featured on his initial tour in Manchester, bemoaned the fact they missed out but has told the Daily Mail:

“The maturity and discipline he had to show surviving as a young boy playing and living in Germany gave him invaluable life skills, ones that this summer the family felt had equipped him for a move to a club as huge as Real Madrid.”

Dortmund proved to be the perfect environment for Jadon Sancho, who chose to head to Germany when he sought pastures new after Manchester City in 2017.

He and Bellingham were teammates for a year until Sancho chose to return to English shores with United.

Bellingham and his family may also have been put off by the trend of Premier League clubs using English players sporadically.

In his first year at Dortmund, he featured in 29 of their 34 league games while he started in eight of their 10 Champions League games.

Man United have taken a more cautious approach with the teenage talent they’ve signed in recent years. Amad was bought for big money from Atalanta but has had several loan spells away. Facundo Pellistri has only been used on occasion.

Birmingham’s former CEO Xuandong Ren has previously told Mundo Deportivo that Bellingham chose to turn down a higher salary when he snubbed United.

“Jude did not make any decision based on money,” he said. “They were offering much more salary compared to the rest. Maybe double. He was going to be guaranteed millions in the bank and he didn’t take it. That’s not normal for a player at all.”

Bellingham is now thriving at Real Madrid – and was equally as impressive for England as they saw off Scotland this week.

The midfielder has made an instant impact in Spain, becoming the first Los Blancos player since Cristiano Ronaldo to score in his first four games