Manchester United rejected chance to sign Kylian Mbappe

Manchester United have developed some of football’s biggest talents throughout their history, with the club’s academy remaining central to its identity.

However, recruitment is never an exact science, and even the biggest clubs occasionally allow future superstars to slip through their fingers.

United experienced a turbulent period following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, appointing David Moyes before turning to experienced Dutch manager Louis van Gaal.

Van Gaal handed opportunities to several young players during his two seasons at Old Trafford, but one exceptional prospect identified during his reign was ultimately overlooked.

Former United assistant manager Ryan Giggs has now revealed that the club scouted Kylian Mbappe during the Frenchman’s time at Monaco, only to decide against pursuing him.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Giggs explained that he first learned about Mbappe through a chance encounter with a United supporter on the beach while staying in the south of France in 2015.

Giggs said: “This guy is called Lionel, French guy. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hi, I’m Lionel. I just wanted to just say hello. I’m a big United fan and big fan of yours.

“‘But I watch a lot of youth football in France, and you have to look at this player. He’s called Kylian Mbappe. He’s at Monaco and I think he’s a player for Man United.’”

The supporter later emailed Giggs the necessary information, prompting him and fellow United assistant Albert Stuivenberg to watch footage of Mbappe playing at youth level.

Giggs continued: “We got a few youth games with Monaco and we seen him and just like, ‘Wow, what is this?’

“You can see players and they can be special, but he did look exceptional, obviously.”

Giggs subsequently passed Mbappe’s details to United’s scouting department, with a scout travelling to watch the youngster play against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the report was not sufficiently convincing for United to take their interest further.

Giggs added: “I think a few weeks later, I said to this guy, ‘How did it go?’ and he went, ‘Yeah, they weren’t too sure about him, so we just left it, and that was it.’”

Mbappe later joined PSG on loan in 2017 before completing a permanent move the following year, establishing himself as one of the world’s leading players.

United could have secured a generational talent before his breakthrough, but their hesitation allowed an extraordinary opportunity to disappear.