Eduardo Camavinga and Manchester United's hunt for the next midfield star

There was naturally a thought of 'what could have been?' for Manchester United fans as Eduardo Camavinga came off the bench to inspire Real Madrid to a stunning Champions League comeback against Man City in midweek.

Just as Carlo Ancelotti's side looked beaten and bereft of ideas against a stubborn City side, the introduction of the French teenager once again changed the course of the match and secured a place in another showpiece final.

For the first goal, it was Camavinga who played the ball to Karim Benzema before he assisted Rodrygo. For the second, it was he who won the ball back to spark the counter-attack, and for the third, it was the former Rennes midfielder who played the crucial ball into the box which saw Federico Valverde fouled for the penalty.

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What is more remarkable, though, is that he had already done so in the previous two rounds. Madrid were second best against Paris Saint-Germain for the majority of the round of 16 tie before Camavinga changed the game in the second leg. It was the same in the quarter-final against Chelsea too, as the French phenomenon sparked his side into another dramatic late show.

It is rather fitting then that the crowning moment of Camavinga's teenage years could well come in Paris later this month, the capital city of the country where he has lived most of his life since the age of two, having been born at a refugee camp in Angola.

So where do United come into all of this?

Prior to his Madrid move, United held talks with the midfielder's representatives in order to gauge the possibility of a move to Old Trafford.

During those exploratory talks a year ago, Ole Gunnar