Vinicius Junior continued his sublime record against Liverpool last night, netting two goals as Real Madrid beat the Reds 5-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie at Anfield.
The Brazilian attacker registered his fifth goal against Jurgen Klopp's side, which is the most by any player in the European competition. Despite falling 2-0 down in the early stages, Los Blancos responded emphatically by securing a three-goal aggregate lead ahead of the return fixture in March.
However, Vinicius could have been tormenting Liverpool on British shores more often if Manchester United had followed up on their interest in him which dates all the way back to 2014.
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ESPN claim that Vinicius, who signed for Real in a £38million deal from Flamengo five years ago, could well have ended up at Old Trafford, with his former youth coach Carlos Noval explaining: "A foreign scout from Manchester United said: 'Noval, look at the player you have, he’s a gem! 'I’ve never seen a 14-year-old player do what he does.
"That reinforced everything we already had in mind. He was a gem to be polished. Everyone wanted Vinicius.
"Corinthians didn't get to talk to us because they didn't have the slightest chance. Barcelona, in particular, monitored this boy since he was 13 years old. Real Madrid and most of the big European clubs too. We had more contact, they came to talk to us, but Vini could only leave the country at the age of 18. European clubs are very important to know what the athlete's family, representatives and off-field are like."
Madrid agreed a deal to sign Vinicius with a contract coming into place on the day of his 18th birthday. The La Liga giants reportedly paid 46m euros (£40m) to acquire his services from Flamengo, which was at the time the second most expensive sale of a player in the history of Brazilian football behind Neymar.
Whilst United are currently enjoying success under Erik ten Hag, there is no doubt Vinicius would have proven to be an effective addition in the years that have passed following his move to Spain. He registered a remarkable 27 direct goal contributions across 35 La Liga matches last season, forming a prolific partnership with Karim Benzema to win both league and Champions League titles.
Meanwhile, the likes of Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho have struggled to find the required consistency to help United rediscover their past glory of yesteryear. Marcus Rashford, though, is now reinvigorated under ten Tag and his form this season means there is little doubt of who the left-wing position belongs to.
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