da heads bet： The midfielder looked destined to make it at Old Trafford, but a lack of first-team games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led to him forging his own path

da premier bet： England's run to the semi-finals of the Under-21 European Championship has been led by many familiar Premier League faces, with Emile Smith-Rowe, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Gibbs-White and Jacob Ramsey grabbing the headlines.

But there has been an equally pivotal contribution from a player who caused a real stir in youth football, yet three years ago decided to leave the country to earn the opportunities that he was lacking but knew he deserved.

Angel Gomes was a thrilling attacking midfielder as a teenager for Manchester United's age-group sides, and made his first-team debut under Jose Mourinho aged 16. But scant opportunities under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led to him look abroad to prove himself, and he has done that after a stellar second campaign with Lille, reinventing himself as a deep-lying playmaker in the mould of Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernandez.

And he is thriving in the same role now for England. He has knitted Lee Carlsey's side's play together and dictated their moves from deep, displaying remarkable calmness on the ball even when under immense pressure and an ability to switch the play with long, pinpoint passes.

Watching Gomes glide past opponents with ease while effortlessly bringing the ball out from defence and into midfield, it is difficult not to think that United failed to recognise his talents and did not nurture him as they should have. Here is a player who could have fit right into Erik ten Hag's side, taking on a similar role to Christian Eriksen but without the fitness concerns surrounding the 31-year-old, who struggles to finish matches and who faded badly in the final stretch of last season.

United spent most of last summer trying in vain to convince Frenkie de Jong to come to Old Trafford, but in Gomes they had a gem of their own who they should have been able to nurture into a top talent themselves.

GettyDribbling his way out of trouble

Gomes started England's opening group stage games against Czech Republic and Israel, as well as the quarter-final against Portugal (he was rested for the third group match against Germany as the Young Lions had already qualified for the knockout stage) and has been sitting deepest of the four midfielders, often playing in between the centre-backs.

Against Portugal, he received a short pass from goalkeeper James Trafford and was immediately surrounded by two forwards, but calmly shielded the ball before dribbling his way out of trouble. It was a sight to behold for United fans who watched their team panic any time they were asked to play out from the back last season, particularly in the final two months after Lisandro Martinez's injury.

He also made his share of tackles and interceptions, but was equally comfortable in the opponents' half, offering team-mates passing outlets, taking one touch to control and then spraying a pass downfield or wide to launch an attack.

AdvertisementGettyThe journey from No.10 to No.6

Gomes never considered being a No.6 when he was in United's youth teams, when he predominantly played in the No.10 role behind the striker. And he says he enjoys his current role more than trying to finish off attacks, despite his old team-mate and mentor Marcus Rashford recently asking him if he ever gets bored.

Gomes told : "Marcus was asking, 'do you not find it boring though? You can’t attack.' I said that no, I don’t, but if I had your pace and attributes then I would! One hundred per cent I enjoy it more. I’ve always appreciated players behind me, the deep-lying midfield.

"Deep down, growing up I was probably more of a No.10. I could play off the left, coming in, and I was tricky. I still have that in my game if I was to do it again. It’s still there. But I’ve also got the maturity as a No.6… I know what the guys further up want, because I’ve played there.

‘Me and (England U21 team-mate) James Garner actually played there in the UEFA Youth League for United. But thinking about playing there in a first team? Probably not. Due to styles of play, what coaches want and what coaches think is required to play there."

GettyNot about assists and goals

He may score fewer goals than he did as a teenager, but Gomes understands the game better now while he feels just as important, in both a Lille team that finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and an England side hoping to win the U21 Euros for the first time in 39 years.

"I’ve been a key player for the team, I’ve been able to play and impose myself on the majority of the games," Gomes said. "It’s difficult. Whoever watches knows how well I’ve played in games but a lot of people don’t. A lot of people go off who’s scored or assisted. If we win and I play well then that’s great for me.

"All eyes are on the Premier League and rightly so. That’s the pinnacle, the highest level at the moment. As long as you’re doing well then there’s no reason why you can’t get to where you want to. It’s about being happy within yourself."

Getty Destined to make it at United

The fact Gomes talks about happiness is telling. Even though he is a key player in a strong team in one of Europe's top five leagues and last season swapped shirts with Lionel Messi, it must feel like a step down from United.

Gomes was supposed to triumph at United and had all the makings of a Red Devils star. The son of journeyman Portuguese footballer Gil Gomes, former United winger Nani is the midfielder's godfather. Carlos Quieroz, Sir Alex Ferguson's trusted assistant manager, is a close family friend.

Gomes, who was born in London but grew up in Salford, a stone's throw from Old Trafford, joined United's academy aged six. In 2017, aged 16, he won the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year award, which has so often been the first step on the path to an exceptional career with United. Previous winners include Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Wes Brown and Rashford. Alejandro Garnacho, United's latest youth star, won it in 2022.

In May 2017, Gomes became the club's youngest debutant since Duncan Edwards when Mourinho brought him off the bench against Crystal Palace for two minutes in the final Premier League game of the season. It raised his profile, but Gomes only got one more opportunity from Mourinho, another two-minute outing against Yeovil Town in the FA Cup in 2018.

The arrival of Solskjaer as coach offered hope of more opportunities, but Gomes played a grand total of 44 Premier League minutes under the Norwegian across four matches, plus two substitutes appearances in the domestic cups.

He did make three starts in the Europa League, but once he began to stall on a new contract, he was effectively banished from the first team. His last appearance for United was a 10-minute outing against Norwich City in January 2020, and he played no part in their FA Cup run.