“We thought we had him and he would have been a great signing for us” – Bryan Robson lifts lid on how Manchester United missed out on signing Liverpool target despite talks

Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson has talked about how the Red Devils came close to signing Jude Bellingham in 2020.

The teenager was signed by Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City but was at the same time contemplating the idea of a move to Old Trafford.

Speaking about missing out on Bellingham, Robson told SunSport:

“I watched him closely playing against City and you could see how much he’s progressed since we thought we had landed him at Manchester United a couple of years ago."

Robson revealed how Bellingham met with Manchester United legends Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and him at Carrington.

“Unfortunately for us he decided to move to Germany. We thought we more or less had him. Myself, Sir Alex and Eric Cantona all met him with his mum and dad at Carrington and after that meeting we thought he was coming to us."

Robson also spoke about the possibility of Liverpool signing him next summer.

“Now there is talk about him moving next summer and you see Liverpool mentioned a lot. We thought we had him and he would have been a great signing for us. But he definitely has it in him to become a great player for England.”

Manchester United legend Robson agrees with Gary Lineker's Bellingham comparison

Gary Lineker had likened Bellingham's style of play to Robson after watching him score against Manchester City earlier this month.

Robson has echoed those thoughts, telling SunSport:

“I definitely think he might have a bit of me in him. It’s all very well flying forward and trying to score but it’s also about protecting your back four. That was something I always believed that you had to do as a midfielder."

Praising the teenager further, the Manchester United legend added:

“He has fantastic anticipation — as we saw in the way he darted into the box to put away his header. But he wins plenty of battles as well. A lot of people think he’s more or less an attacking midfielder but he can do the other side of it as well.

"He’s a good size. He’s pretty quick and in fact he’s got a bit of everything about him."

He also spoke about what Bellingham has to do to represent England at the upcoming World Cup.

“What he’s got to do, of course, is keep his feet on the ground and work hard to be the best he can be. But you can see why he has become such a big target in the market because he is such a big talent.

"And if he keeps performing like he did against City he will be a big part of England’s World Cup bid.”