Darron Gibson has revealed he initially turned down Manchester United as a teenager.
While young players from the neighbouring academy at Manchester City have been given opportunities at tender ages, Gibson’s football education came on loan, first at Royal Antwerp in Belgium and, last season, at Wolves in the Championship.
Indeed, had United not been so pro-active in their initial pursuit of the teenage Gibson, he may have joined a club from the second tier in the first place.
Gibson, born in Londonderry, revealed: "United were actually the first club I said no to when I was a youngster. They asked me to come across and I said no because I was fed up of going here, there and everywhere for trials.
"There were agents phoning up the house all the time and my mum and dad were getting fed up.
"I had decided I would go either to Sunderland or Leicester and nowhere else. But then one of the United scouts said I should really go over and play in a game on my birthday. They persuaded me so I went over and once I saw the place and met the people, I signed straight away."