Moises Caicedo has already played a role in transforming Manchester United's midfield

Moises Caicedo must never have envisaged gracing the same pitch as Manchester United in a rugby league heartland where the nearby 'landmark' is The Whistling Wren pub.

In March 2021, the Ecuador international was bustling around a sunny Leigh Sports Village with the turnstiles locked during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was, like most pandemic-era contests, soulless and ended goalless.

The only thing worth writing home about was Caicedo in what was only his second start for the Brighton Under-23s. He bossed the midfield two months after he was poised to move to Manchester.

That day at Leigh, Caicedo already had a physical presence unmatched by his peers. United's reticence (they were reduced to 10 men after Will Fish was dismissed) allowed Caicedo to showcase his passing range. He drew a save from Matej Kovar and was cynically fouled by Charlie McCann.

Also read: United face three key dates ahead of possible takeover

Caicedo had to wait 15 months for his first Premier League start and when he was parachuted into the line-up at Arsenal in April 2022 Brighton won 2-1, with Caicedo's crafty reverse pass slammed in by Enock Mwepu. In Caicedo's first six league starts, Brighton defeated Arsenal, Tottenham and United.

United's discussions about Caicedo, 19 at the time, in the January 2021 transfer window were compromised by the involvement of various intermediaries. A source told the Manchester Evening News the deal became "too messy" for United to proceed.

Another source revealed Caicedo was willing to work with whoever could engineer a transfer to United and described negotiations as a "clusterf---". United were wary of the number of intermediaries at an early stage and Caicedo eventually moved to Brighton for around