Why Angel Gomes left Man United on free transfer as England debut imminent

Angel Gomes is one of four uncapped players in contention to appear for England this weekend when they take on the Republic of Ireland.

The former Manchester United midfielder, currently playing for Lille in France, was named in Lee Carsley's squad last week for this month's international break for the first time in his career.

His time in the spotlight has sparked many wondering what happened when he was at United and how the club allowed a player of his talent leave. Here, MEN Sport takes a look at Gomes and his career so far.

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Salford-born Gomes started training at the United academy at the age of six before making his debut for the Under-18s at just 14. After signing a scholarship at the club, Gomes became the third youngest United academy player to score three goals at the age of 15 years and 362 days.

His time at the academy was topped when he was named Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year in 2017 before he started training with the first-time. In the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, Gomes made his senior debut when he replaced Wayne Rooney.

That game saw him become the youngest player to represent the Red Devils since Duncan Edwards, as well as the first player born in the 2000s to play in the Premier League. His exciting start to life saw him be rewarded with his first professional contract.

In his final seasons at United, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Gomes was hardly used. The 2018/19 season saw him play just two times for the first-team, followed by only six more games.

He played twice