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Unread 11-12-2018, 09:15 PM
AK14
 
Default De Lijt & De Jong

Quote:
United were recommended Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt before they made their first-team debuts with Ajax, according to the club's former head of youth recruitment, Derek Langley.

The Dutch wonderkids have established themselves as two of football's hottest prospects since bursting onto the scene in 2016 and have both been linked with big-money moves to Europe's elite clubs next summer.
De Jong was on Willem II's books before being snapped up by Ajax at 18 years of age while de Ligt broke into the Eredivisie giants' first team at just 16 - and went on to start the Europa League final against United.

Had United chiefs listened to Langley's recommendation, though, it could have been very different.

"Players that they turned down? Matthijs de Ligt. We had God knows how many reports on Matthijs de Ligt. Frenkie de Jong and all these players now are sort of around Europe," the 68-year-old told MEN Sport. "Dayot Upamecano, who is now at Red Bull Leipzig, was another.

"This was one of the reasons why I had a meeting with Ed Woodward and I told him that I wasn't convinced with the competency of certain people at the club. I told Ed Woodward quite straight: 'If you think I'm going to sit here and just tell you what you want to hear, I'm not that man because I'm going to tell you exactly how I see it'.

"I think it was possibly part of my downfall as to why seven months down the line I was removed because I wouldn't tow the line in relation to telling them exactly what I thought.

"It's one of them things in football - you come to accept it. Manchester United thanked me for the time I spent there and the players I'd taken in, but ultimately we could have been so much better if people had listened."

Langley, a lifelong United fan, spent 16 years as a talent spotter at Old Trafford, starting as a local recruitment officer then moving up to head of European recruitment and head of academy recruitment.

Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Gerard Pique, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Giuseppe Rossi and Adnan Januzaj were among those who were scouted and signed on his watch between 2000 and 2016.

Remarkably, that was at a time when Langley had just two full-time scouts - one in South America and one in Europe - at his disposal. The rest were part-time.

It meant that United's head of youth recruitment was constantly travelling the world covering youth tournaments. Not only looking at potential targets but, also, handling matters as trivial as schoolboys' expenses at the same time.

United's local network suffered as a result at a time when Man City were ploughing millions into their academy, scouting network and infrastructure following Sheikh Mansour's takeover.

Langley appealed for help but it was only after his departure that United's scouting network in Europe, South America and Asia trebled in size. Indeed, the club now have more than 50 scouts on their books.

But his legacy lives on in the shape of the club's hottest prospect - Tahith Chong.

"Tahith was spotted when he was 14/15-year-old playing in a tournament at Carrington. What used to be the Nike Premier Cup," he added. "He had already been tipped by our scouts in Holland and basically I followed him at that tournament and then I followed him all over Europe.

"Tahith's parents would be the first to tell you that his form dipped slightly due to growth issues so at that time I just held fire. I carried on watching him and realised his form was coming back.

"He was on the verge of signing for Chelsea and I managed to convince his parents and the boy his future lied at United."
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co...-jong-15530351

 
Unread 11-12-2018, 09:23 PM
dunk
 
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Jesus £#%&!ing Christ

 
Unread 11-12-2018, 09:35 PM
sa7
 
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£#%&!ing Glazer filth and their shitstain lackey @#%&!s.
 
Unread 11-12-2018, 09:40 PM
utd99
 
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They should thank their lucky stars tbh. They would have spent four years in the academy then been shipped off to Derby.
 
Unread 11-12-2018, 10:25 PM
S/Side.Red
 
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Quote:
"Tahith was spotted when he was 14/15-year-old playing in a tournament at Carrington"
Wordly scouting from Big Del tbf.
 
Unread 11-12-2018, 10:52 PM
Buck
 
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Quote:
"Tahith was spotted when he was 14/15-year-old playing in a tournament at Carrington. What used to be the Nike Premier Cup," he added. "He had already been tipped by our scouts in Holland and basically I followed him at that tournament and then I followed him all over Europe.

"Tahith's parents would be the first to tell you that his form dipped slightly due to growth issues so at that time I just held fire. I carried on watching him and realised his form was coming back.

"He was on the verge of signing for Chelsea and I managed to convince his parents and the boy his future lied at United."
Clearly proud of himself isn't he. "I did this, I did that"

Fair play if big Chongers goes on to become a star
 
Unread 12-12-2018, 06:55 AM
windy waffles
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buck
Clearly proud of himself isn't he. "I did this, I did that"

Fair play if big Chongers goes on to become a star
Wouldn't be proud of 'discovering' TC23 tbf.

If anything I'd keep quiet about that...
 
Unread 12-12-2018, 05:06 PM
red in cumbria
 
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by windy waffles
Wouldn't be proud of 'discovering' TC23 tbf.

If anything I'd keep quiet about that...
On this occasion at least, you make a very good point
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 01:45 AM
Vedder
 
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De Jong off to Barca for €90m
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 02:04 AM
MrBishi
 
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For someone they can build a team around for the next 12 years? Absolute bargain
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 08:43 AM
Denis Irwell
 
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State of the place. Always gonna be painful after SAF tbf.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 09:03 AM
AK14
 
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Shocking we’re missing out on another talented kid

Until the structure of the club is revamped it’ll keep happening too.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 09:10 AM
Lok
 
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Barca not scared to splash the cash.

It's obviously got them nowhere as Dembele is always injured and Coutinho is the waste of money everyone said he was.

Not sure what point I'm trying to make to be honest.

£#%&! off Woodward.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:03 AM
Arnold Muhren
 
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De Ligt is going to be the rock of any teams defence for the next 10-12 years. Simply put, he’s this generations Ferdinand and we should be 100% in for him (we won’t be).
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:05 AM
Curtis
 
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If they've cemented that deal then we can look forward to them going into overdrive to flog Coutinho. Queue Woodward acting like he's won something after having his pants pulled down for a player no one wants.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arnold Muhren
De Ligt is going to be the rock of any teams defence for the next 10-12 years. Simply put, he’s this generations Ferdinand and we should be 100% in for him (we won’t be).
Also, this.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:10 AM
AK14
 
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arnold Muhren
De Ligt is going to be the rock of any teams defence for the next 10-12 years. Simply put, he’s this generations Ferdinand and we should be 100% in for him (we won’t be).
City linked with him this morning...



Quote:
Originally Posted by Lok
Barca not scared to splash the cash.

It's obviously got them nowhere as Dembele is always injured and Coutinho is the waste of money everyone said he was.

Not sure what point I'm trying to make to be honest.

£#%&! off Woodward.
Arthur and De Jong in two windows...

Midfield sorted for years to come

That’s how it should be done.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:18 AM
Sparky***
 
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lok
Barca not scared to splash the cash.

It's obviously got them nowhere as Dembele is always injured and Coutinho is the waste of money everyone said he was.

Not sure what point I'm trying to make to be honest.

£#%&! off Woodward.
Got them nowhere except pissing the league for 3 out of the last 4 years?
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:22 AM
andyroo
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky***
Got them nowhere except pissing the league for 3 out of the last 4 years?
They only signed Dembele last year and he missed most of it. True he's been important this season though, scored the go ahead goal in a lot of games.

Coutinho though, he's only made Liverpool better, not Barcelona. The £#%&!ing @#%&!.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:34 AM
messhead
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andyroo
They only signed Dembele last year and he missed most of it. True he's been important this season though, scored the go ahead goal in a lot of games.

Coutinho though, he's only made Liverpool better, not Barcelona. The £#%&!ing @#%&!.
To be fair Coutinho was doing really well up until dembele came back. He just doesn't really fit barca as a winger and in the midfield they've got that Arthur this season who looks the nuts. Also the whole Utd link with him just reeks of contract renewal time.
 
Unread 23-01-2019, 10:35 AM
andyroo
 
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by messhead
To be fair Coutinho was doing really well up until dembele came back. He just doesn't really fit barca as a winger and in the midfield they've got that Arthur this season who looks the nuts. Also the whole Utd link with him just reeks of contract renewal time.
Let's hope so. I don't trust Woodward.
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