Manchester United should repeat Liverpool FC transfer trick to unearth generational star

A little over four hours was left in the January transfer window and Fulham starlet Fabio Carvalho was on route to attend a last-minute medical in London.

The 19-year-old attacking-midfielder, who joined Fulham in 2014 as a child, was wanted by Liverpool and the Anfield club was determined to get hold of his signature before the clock struck 11pm on January 31.

Despite their best efforts, a hold up with the paperwork meant that the Premier League title hopefuls failed to raid Craven Cottage for a potential superstar, following the signing of Harvey Elliott, for the second time in two-and-a-half years.

Nevertheless, Liverpool remain confident of securing Carvalho's signature in the summer, even if recent reports in the national media have suggested that Manchester United are ready to enter the battle. According to the Daily Star, United are planning to 'hijack' Liverpool's move for him and are going to try and lure him to Old Trafford, adding to their entourage of Portuguese nationals.

Despite not turning 20 until the very end of August, Carvalho, who started his youth career at Benfica, has played a pivotal role in Fulham's push for promotion from the Championship this season, scoring seven goals and claiming five assists in 21 appearances. Furthermore, he also experienced the buzz of scoring against one of the Premier League's elite earlier this month, netting in Fulham's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in the fourth-round of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium.

As you can imagine with a 19-year-old Portuguese starlet wowing audiences in the Championship, plenty of attention surrounds Carvalho, especially when you consider that the gap between England's second-tier and the Premier League is decreasing because of the