For Angel Gomes, his career at Manchester United started like so many Old Trafford legends before him.
A product of the academy, Salford lad Gomes joined the club as a child and managed to earn himself a place in the United U18s despite being just 14 at the time. His qualities in the centre of midfield soon gave him a big reputation by which to live up to.
In 2017, Gomes' stock inside the Theatre of Dreams was high. He became the youngest ever recipient of the Jimmy Murphy Trophy, an illustrious award which had previously been won by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford, a year prior.
On receiving the trophy, Gomes told MUTV: "It's a dream come true. Being a young age, it's things like this you wish for.
"All the hard work you put in at the training ground - this is the end result. I've missed a lot of the last two months through injury and the other lads have been consistent, so when I heard my name get called out, it was quite a surprise and a real honour."
Nicky Butt, who was the academy manager at the time, outlined exactly how highly the Reds thought of him. "Angel Gomes is a young talented player that we have massive hopes for," he boldly declared before Danny Webber went a step further and likened him to Scholes.
In May 2017, Jose Mourinho handed Gomes the opportunity to become the youngest United player in the Premier League era at the age of 16 years and 263 days old when he featured against Crystal Palace. The sky was the limit for the Englishman who also enjoyed international success with England that same year, lifting the U17s World Cup.
Sadly for Gomes, this performance against Palace and subsequent bench appearances was as good as it got for him under Mourinho. The midfielder would go on to explain this year that an incident with the 'Special One' left him on the verge of tears.
"I've never actually told this story before but one time, he took me to a cup game with the first-team after I'd played with the U21s," he told SPORTbible. "We were at the dinner table and he's come around speaking to everyone. He then looks at me and says: 'I am f***** with you.'
"At the time he was having a laugh with everyone, so I thought he was joking with me. I asked why and he brought up my performance from the day before.
"He must have thought I'd played s***. I didn't think I played that badly but he's the big boss, so if he thought I'd played bad, I'd played bad.
"He was saying: 'You were doing this and doing that but you should have done this and that...' And this was in front of the whole squad as well.
"I'd had b********** in my time but not from the big boss. I just wasn't expecting it. I was taken aback.
"He eventually finished shouting and carried on with what he was doing. I was stuck to my seat. Eventually some of the lads came over and said: 'Don't worry, just ignore him. He's trying to get a reaction from you. This is how he is.'
"I was only young so in my head I was thinking: 'F***, he hates me.' I went back to my room and rang my dad. I was nearly crying."
Mourinho was sacked by United in 2018 and his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer placed him on the bench for his opening game in charge of the Reds. He would make two more substitute cameos for the Reds under Solskjaer and ahead of the 2019/20 season it looked like it would be his time to shine.
However, it was Scott McTominay who broke through properly that campaign, leaving Gomes with just six first team appearances. The writing appeared to be on the wall at United but Solskjaer was adamant in 2020 that he wanted the 19-year-old to extend his stay in Manchester with his contract expiring that summer.
"Angel is a top kid we've had at the club for so many years," the Norwegian said. "We've offered him a deal and hopefully he'll take that and if not I wish him all the best.
"From what I understand it's not too far away – if not we'll wish him all the best." Unfortunately for Solskjaer, he was off the money.
Gomes opted to join Ligue 1 side Lille and opening up on his decision to leave, he revealed that it had been tricky remaining at United when his chances never materialised.
"I wouldn’t say I doubted myself, but there were times when you’d get upset and think back. In football there is no time for that," he told Sky Sports in 2021.
"You are leaving your home and that was the most difficult thing, knowing you are not going to be there anymore. For me it was getting it out of your head and seeing the new challenge in front and tackling that.
"Leaving the club you have grown up at and have been raised at is always difficult. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of negativity which came from that.
"It’s my job as a professional and a young player to be able to deal with that and continue doing what I’ve been raised to do – which is play football. My main focus was to show that on the pitch and leave the media and other things which come with it to the side."
On his arrival in France, Gomes was immediately shipped on loan to Boavista where he made 30 appearances in the Portuguese top tier during a fruitful spell. The 22-year-old has now forged a successful career for himself in Lille making a respectable 40 appearances for the French team to date.
However his dream of becoming a cult hero in Manchester would just never materialise. He had so much promise as a youngster, many United fans were gutted things didn't work out at the club for him but now they will feel proud of his success in France, very much forged in Salford.