Lucas Bergvall has had two trials at Manchester United – and fans are angry he wasn't signed following the Swede's Carabao Cup winner for Tottenham against Liverpool.
After landing in north London this summer – snatched from the jaws of Barcelona for £8.5million in January but left to develop at hometown club Djurgardens – Bergvall has been thrown in at the deep end by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
The 18-year-old featured sparingly at the start of the season, but with injuries increasing in midfield, Postecoglou has shown confidence in the teenager in his side's last two games. The youngster paid it back in spades on Wednesday with an 86th-minute winner at home to league leaders Liverpool, but only after surviving a red card for taking down Kostas Tsimikas two minutes earlier while already on booking.
His stunning rise led United fans to regret not snapping up the Sweden international after a pair of tests at Old Trafford were unearthed.
Bergvall's first trial at Carrington came in 2020 when he was 14 and playing for IF Brommapojkarna. Although he impressed and was invited for a second trial at the age of 16, the Red Devils managed to secure his signature.
One reason for not offering the youngster was reportedly post-Brexit transfer rules, which place strict restrictions on international transfers for players under the age of 18.
According to the MEN, the turnover of United's recruitment staff at the time of Bergvall's second trial in 2022 also saw him slip through the cracks. He signed for Djurgardens that same year and, after turning 18 last February, joined Spurs in July.
Fans expressed their frustrations online at United's omission of Bergvall following his Carabao Cup semi-final appearance, with one stating: “Shows the administrative failure that the club has not kept relations open with the player and his representatives to bring him to United as soon as he turned 18.”
Spurs boss Postecoglou also praised him, saying after his match-winning goal: “Lucas was brilliant. Like I said, I haven't lost sight of the fact that we have two 18-year-olds, one of whom plays as a centre-back (Archie Gray). It's not even his position.
“I just don't think people really understand the level of performance these young boys are offering us at the moment. Lucas is only growing. He has the ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He has the quality, but he also works extremely hard for the team.”
Comments