A 9-year-old Man Utd fan leaves in tears after 6-hour wait for only 1 autograph

They do say never meet your idols, but young Finn Murphy is perhaps an example of why it's sometimes better to not even try.

The football-obsessed nine-year-old persuaded dad Dave Lewis to travel from Staffordshire in the early hours of Monday morning to Manchester United's Carrington training base.

Although no access to the public is allowed, fans often wait outside to see their heroes arriving for work before they go home in the early afternoon.

The excited pair finally got to Manchester at 8am and didn't leave the roadside until the middle of the afternoon.

The players are not obliged to stop and it is understood are told to exit as normal in order to avoid any safety issues.

But young Finn went home heartbroken and says the club's mega stars drove on by despite his desperate pleas for autographs.

He did get to meet one team member, though.

The only person to stop and say hello was second choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who signed his book as the others sped past.

Finn, who was patiently waiting with other schoolchildren outside the gates, told Stoke On Trent Live : “It made me feel rejected.

“I was upset. They are my favourite team and I travelled all the way to Manchester to see them and they just drove past me.

“Paul Pogba used to be my favourite player, but he went past at what seemed like about 100mph. He's not my favourite player now.

“It made me feel really sad. I was almost crying on the way home because pretty much all of them had just driven past me.”

Finn says kind-hearted Romero is his new number one but the boy's mum is angry at the stars.

Siobhan Murphy, 33, said: “I'm so disappointed for him.

“These players wouldn't have huge Bentleys and Ferraris if it wasn't for fans like Finn. Yet they weren't willing to spend five minutes writing their name on a piece of paper, or even to just acknowledge him.

“They would not be the team they are without young supporters.

“I sent a message to Jesse Lingard, I don't think he'll read it, but I wanted him to know that he had ruined a young lad's hopes and dreams.”

No-one from Manchester United was available to comment to Stoke On Trent Live .

A Trip Adviser review of the club's training ground warned that there were signs up saying that players 'would not stop to sign souvenirs'.