I waited too long to leave Manchester United but I was living every fan's dream

Ben Amos had a taste of it and didn’t want to let it go.

He was a boyhood United fan realising a dream. He’d kept goal in the Champions League at Old Trafford, paraded the Premier League trophy on a pre-season tour of Africa and won the Club World Cup. He lined up alongside Ronaldo on his debut and everywhere you looked during his United career were stellar names.

Amos joined United’s academy at 11 and departed permanently at 25. There were seven senior appearances and six loan spells. In the summer of 2015 he knew it was time. He’d known a while but had stayed on at his boyhood club hoping for a chance that could change his career.

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"By the point I left I was ready for it," said Amos, speaking to the Manchester Evening News over a coffee. "I had had a couple of years hanging around for a slither of an opportunity.

"I needed to crack on and had already waited too long. I was playing catch up a bit. With hindsight it would be a case of 'I am not playing many games here so let's go' but I wanted to hang around for an opportunity that could catapult your career. A run of five good games for Man United does a lot for someone.

"In retrospect I hung around too long after Sir Alex Ferguson left but as a United fan you would be kicking yourself if something happened. When I got my debut it was because of a couple of injuries and you have to be sat in the right place at the right time to get those opportunities"

Amos had opportunities any aspiring professional footballer would