Lille’s Angel Gomes has forged an unconventional path to the England team.
Hailed as a wonderkid by supporters of his boyhood club Manchester United, Gomes seemed destined for greatness at Old Trafford.
He made his debut under Jose Mourinho aged 16 but just three years’ later was walking away from the club with tears in his eyes.
Frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities, Gomes rejected a new deal, making the “difficult” choice to leave to “better myself as a player and person”.
He joined Lille in 2020 – and was immediately sent on a season-long loan to Portuguese team Boavista – before returning to the French side.
The move has allowed him to quietly improve his game while remaining on England’s radar.
Gomes, who was part of the Under-17s World Cup winning squad from 2017, was also involved in the triumphant 2023 Under-21s European Championship side under Lee Carsley.
Six of that team, including Gomes, were then selected by Carsley after he became interim manager of the senior squad, for September’s Uefa Nations League wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Now, aged 24, Gomes has four senior caps and hopes to build on his progress under new manager Thomas Tuchel but should senior recognition have come sooner?
“When he was called up by England, we were like ‘have they never watched him play? Why has it taken them so long?'” French football writer Julien Laurens told BBC Sport.
“We’ve seen for the past three years how good he is. It felt right that he finally got his chance.”