Tottenham's Cartabao Cup hero Lucas Bergvall had two trials at Manchester United, with Red Devils fans left wondering why super Swede wasn't signed. Bergvall, who was wanted by Barcelona before signing for Spurs for £8.5million from Djurgardens, has been thrust into the limelight by Ange Postecoglou.
The 18-year-old has proven his worth in recent games and scored a late winner in Tuesday's semi-final first leg victory over Liverpool. That has led United fans to lament the missed opportunity after his trials at Old Trafford were revealed.
Bergvall first trialled at Carrington in 2020 when he was just 14 and playing for IF Brommapojkarna. Despite impressing enough to be invited back for a second trial at 16, United decided not to secure his signature.
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It is believed that post-Brexit transfer rules, which impose strict restrictions on international moves for players under 18, played a part in this decision. The Manchester Evening News reports that a reshuffle of United's recruitment staff in 2022 coincided with Bergvall's second trial, causing him to be overlooked.
He joined Djurgardens the same year and officially signed for Spurs on his 18th birthday in February before linking up with the north London club last summer.
Following Bergvall's goal against Liverpool, United fans took to social media to voice their frustration at the club's transfer policy, which has been heavily criticised over the last decade. One posted: "Shows the administrative failure that the club did not keep relations open with the player and his reps so as to be able to bring him to United once he turned 18."
Another complained: "How could anyone with responsibility turn down this lad at 8.5m and spend 70+m [on] Anthony and 40m [on] Zirkzee, it’s just shocking and that’s why we are, where we are…"
Postecoglou hailed the youngster after his strike, saying: “Lucas was brilliant. Like I said, I haven't lost sight of the fact that we've got two 18-year-olds, one who's playing at centre-back [Archie Gray]. It's not even his position.
"I just don't think people really understand the level of performance that these young guys are giving us at the moment. Lucas is just growing all the time. He's got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He's got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well."
