Amorim will love him: Man Utd face Angel Gomes repeat over Messi-esque star

In recent years, Manchester United have lost several players on free transfers. Perhaps the most notable of those is Paul Pogba. Having returned to the club after leaving for free in 2012, he left for nothing again in 2022, upon the expiration of his contract. Fellow academy graduate Jesse Lingard was a player who followed suit that same season.

The following season saw long-term number one goalkeeper David de Gea depart the club He did not find a club for a year, and Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane were the most recent senior players who departed following the expiration of their contract.

Incredibly, there was a player even before the likes of Pogba and Lingard who has proven to be a costly loss. That man is Angel Gomes.

Gomes' Man United career

Red Devils academy graduate Gomes became a club and Premier League record-breaker in 2017 when he made his professional debut.

The London-born, Salford-raised midfielder came on against Crystal Palace, replacing Wayne Rooney to become his boyhood club's youngest ever player aged 16 years and 263 days old. The United academy graduate also became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the top flight of English football.

When Jose Mourinho gave the youngster his debut over seven years ago, it completely seemed like he would go on to become a permanent fixture in the United first team. However, things did not quite work out like that.

Gomes made just ten appearances before he left the Red Devils. Those games were spread out across four seasons, and he played just 320 minutes in total. The majority of those were made up in Europa League games in the 2019/20 season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

However, there was no doubt about the youngster's talent. With first-team chances at Old Trafford hard to come by, he left on a free transfer. Gomes made a bold move to France to join Lille, where he was immediately sent on loan to Portuguese side Boavista.

Now, 126 games and three England caps later, that move can certainly be called a success. United surely regret losing such a premium talent.

United would certainly hope to avoid any situations like this with a young player again, although they could be treading a fine line with one of their exciting youngsters ahead of next summer.

The Man United player who could leave for nothing

The player in question here is talented Ivorian attacker Amad Diallo. Despite his talent, which he has showcased at Old Trafford, the 22-year-old has been short of opportunities. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and whilst the Red Devils have the option to extend it by a year, he can begin to talk to other clubs in January.

United completed a deal for the youngster in 2020 from Atalanta, paying £19m up front and a further £18.2m in potential add-ons for the Ivorian. He has played just 34 times for the club, although has gone on a couple of loan spells.

In that time, the attacker has scored four goals, including a memorable FA Cup quarter-final winner against Liverpool, and grabbed three assists.

There is no doubting the talent Amad has. Former Atalanta teammate Papu Gomez was full of praise for him, and explained he is "like Lionel Messi". Gomez is someone who has seen both up close, having played with the Ivorian in Bergamo and the legendary attacker for Argentina.

Amad seems like a player incoming United boss Ruben Amorim would love. The 23-year-old has superb technical ability on the ball, and his close control is extraordinary, Messi-esque as Gomez suggested.

He could thrive in Amorim's system, which sees 2 number 10s play just behind a centre-forward. Amad, who excels when on the ball between the lines or in the right half-space, could get plenty of joy in that role.

United's soon-to-be-manager will surely be desperate to keep hold of the number 16 and give him a chance to thrive in a system that could suit him down to the ground.

Indeed, Red Devils bosses must surely be cautious not to repeat the mistake of losing Gomes and do all they can to keep hold of Amad beyond this summer.