Man Utd ignored 40 calls to sign Alphonso Davies, says club's former scout

Manchester United were recommended Alphonso Davies when he was a 15-year-old playing in Canada, according to the club's former international scout Jorge Alvial.

Alvial says he sent at least 40 reports to the club regarding Davies during his spell at United, even giving him a special “signed status report” - used to determine the very best talent in world football.

Davies was set to go on trial with United for three weeks in January 2018 but instead spent the month in his homeland to attend a training camp with the Canada Olympic team.

The Canadian winger has burst onto the scene with Bayern Munich this season and produced a coming-of-age performance in February as he helped mastermind the Bavarians' 3-0 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League.

However, had the United hierarchy listened to the advice they were given by Alvial it could have been a very different story for the Davies, who at time was valued at just $2million by Vancouver Whitecaps.

"It was my first player that I recommended to United when they hired me," Alvial told MEN Sport.

"The first time I saw him he was playing at the Dallas Cup tournament, and he was a very good player. He was only 14 then, he went back to Vancouver and then when I was watching him on videos with my son, Javier, and said: 'Wait a second. We remember that player, that is Alphonso.' And that is when I called.

"I had just got hired at that time and I called and said I wanted to go and see this player. So I went and right away, I am being honest, right away I recommended him. I feel very, very strongly about him. He is physical, intelligent. I felt strongly about him, if not stronger than I did when I recommended Christian Pulisic to Chelsea, and I took him for a trial at 14 years old.

"When I saw him play he was in the B team at Vancouver and the speed he had at 15, he was already going by guys that had been playing in the USA for a while. He was left-footed, his vision was great, his technique was good, not great, but with technique you can improve it. But the things that he saw at that age I went 'Wow. This is a superstar.' Right away for two years I recommended him at Man United."

Alvial spent two and a half years working for United, having previously held a similar role as International Scout of the Americas at Chelsea for nine years. During his time in English football Alvial recommended a 14-year-old Neymar to Chelsea as well as players like Davies and Christian Pulisic to United.

The Chilean scout is currently taking a break after working as a Director of Recruitment and Scouting for FC Cincinnati up until last month, but will be looking for a new club later in the year.

Seeing the progress of Davies is a proud moment for him in his work, but he insists he holds no grudge against United for opting against his advice of signing one of the hottest talents in world football.

He added: "I think, and I could be wrong, it is very hard for a team of that prestige just to go and sign a 15-year-old boy, but again, and I don't want to repeat Christain Pulsiic, but I was the same, if not stronger how I felt about this kid.

"The decisions are not mine, my job is just to recommend them and I can't answer why we didn't sign him. It was not my authority. If it was my authority, then no problem."