Man Utd's 'brutal response' after getting £5m tip-off about Tottenham star

Daily Mirror

14-05-2025

Manchester United take on Tottenham in the final of the Europa League next weekend, nearly a decade after snubbing the chance to sign a Spurs superstar for just £5million
Manchester United turned their noses up at a young James Maddison when offered the chance to sign him back in his Coventry days. The Tottenham superstar, 28, has been one of the Premier League's top creative midfielders for a while, after turning heads at Leicester before sealing a £40m move to Spurs in 2023.
But United could have snapped him for a fraction of that price back in 2016. At the time, Coventry were in the mire financially, and were thus forced to sell many of their best players, including 19-year-old prodigy Maddison.
In 2020, transfer expert Ian McGarry, who, at the time, was working as a football consultant for the Sky Blues, claimed he contacted United to see if they'd be interested in bringing Maddison to Manchester, but claimed they "didn't take any notice" of his recommendation.
"When Maddison was in the process of leaving Coventry City because the club's financial crisis meant they had to sell their best players and Maddison even then was considered one of the best players," McGarry explained on the Transfer Window podcast.
"I contacted someone I knew at Manchester United in their recruitment department and said look you're going to get a bargain here, this guy's going to be a huge player in the future and he's available for around £5m and he's also a Manchester United fan.
"They didn't take any notice. Manchester United could have had Maddison four years ago. In saying that there's no guarantee he would have developed the way he did at Norwich and then Leicester."
Maddison would have almost certainly been lining up against the Red Devils in the Europa League final later this month, but will miss the clash due to injury. The England international was ruled out for the season after limping off in the first leg of Tottenham's semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, meaning he'll have to catch the action from the stands.
"Gutted. Just absolutely gutted," Maddison wrote on social media after learning he'd miss the showpiece. "We've had our sights on that European final in Bilbao from day one of this campaign. So to accept not being able to take part out on that pitch with the boys is really tough to take.
"Injuries are just part of this game that can be so cruel at times. But I truly believe that it can be a special night for my football club. Bring on the 21st. All together."
Maddison has notched 23 goal contributions in all competitions this season, including 12 goals - the second-best tally of his top-flight career. He's been a bright spark in an otherwise gloomy season for Spurs, who are on course for their worst-ever Premier League finish.
The same can be said of Ruben Amorim's United, who are a place and a point above Ange Postecoglou's men in 16th. For both clubs, the Europa League final represents a shot at redemption, but also an unlikely path to Champions League football next season.
For Maddison, watching from the sidelines will sting all the more knowing how different things could have been - not just in terms of his fitness, but in terms of an Old Trafford career that could have been but never was.
Had United paid attention to McGarry's recommendation all those years ago, the creative spark that's been so often missing in their midfield might have been theirs to harness.
Instead, Maddison stands as a living reminder of United's muddled recruitment strategy - an emblem of the talent they've let slip through their fingers during a decade of drift.