Manchester United have missed out on some brilliant players as youngsters over the years.
Indeed, Aaron Ramsey could’ve joined Manchester United as a teenager, while John Terry could’ve signed for Manchester United when he was first getting into football.
Now, another one-time Premier League prospect has claimed that he could’ve joined Manchester United when he was a teenager.
Speaking on Filthy Fellas, Jordon Ibe has been discussing his route into football, and he says that he could’ve joined Chelsea or Manchester United before he committed to Liverpool.
Jordon Ibe could’ve joined Manchester United
Ibe spoke about how he almost signed for the Red Devils.
The winger says that United and Chelsea were both waiting for his decision at one point, but he decided to go to Liverpool instead.
The attacker says Liverpool’s treatment of young players influenced his decision, while he was also something of a fan after watching the 2005 Champions League final as a kid.
“They signed me and I started training with the under-18s as a 15-year-old. And then the next year, I went on tour with the first team, and I kind of just stayed with them, but I was with the reserves as well. And then from 17, I was just there,” Ibe said.
“So, obviously, you went to Liverpool in the end, but it was between Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United. these are clubs you could have signed for?” The host asked.
“Yeah, they were waiting on my response,” Ibe said.
“On your decision. So, what made you choose Liverpool? Because at the time, you’ve got Alex Ferguson, the legend. I think you signed when Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool legend. What makes you make that decision?” The host asked.
“I think it’s, you know, because at the time they were playing young players, and as much as I watched the Champions League final when I was younger. Yeah, Istanbul, that was serious,” Ibe saod.
“And also, at the time, I didn’t even want to go, because I said, if my family’s not coming, I’m not going. So I told them in a nice way that if they came back in one years’ time I would go.”
Jordon Ibe stats for Liverpool
Manchester United wanted to sign Ibe as a teenager, but they missed out to their bitter rivals, Liverpool.
However, ultimately, this wasn’t the game-changing youth signing that the Reds perhaps thought it would be.
Indeed, while Ibe was tipped for big things at a young age, he never quite lived up to his potential.
Ibe’s stats for Liverpool show that United didn’t miss out on too much here.
| Jordon Ibe stats for Liverpool | |
|---|---|
| Games | 58 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 7 |
However, that said, Liverpool did eventually sell Ibe for £15m, which is a healthy profit on a player who underperformed for the first-team for most of his time at Anfield.
Nowadays, Ibe is playing non-league football after disappointing spells with Derby County and Bournemouth and some off-field issues that hampered his development as a player.
