What could have been for Man Utd! Youth coach reveals how close Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer came to joining Red Devils

Palmer, who hails from Manchester, spent 10 years in City's youth setup and then played for the senior team for three more years before moving to Chelsea in the summer of 2023. It was only after moving to Stamford Bridge that the attacking midfielder established himself as one of the top players in the Premier League and also broke into the England national team.

United youth coach Little, however, claims that years before Palmer signed for the Blues, he was very close to joining the Red Devils' youth academy. Palmer is known to be a lifelong United fan and was reportedly desperate to join his favourite club, but the Cityzens eventually managed to convince him to stay.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast, Little said: "I know Cole Palmer’s family quite well, I know his dad and his uncle, and we were close to getting Cole Palmer when he was about 16, believe it or not. He was umming and ahing and I knew he was a big United fan.

"He was at that age where you’re allowed to leave, 16 is it? And they were umming and ahing, Manchester City, about it. I think in the end Manchester City made him a good enough offer. But really, he was always a Manchester United fan and it was close anyway, I remember speaking."

He added: "I think City needed to show him a bit more love and that kind of stuff. We never quite got it over the line, but it would have been nice if we did, wouldn’t it?"

Palmer pulled out of the England squad during the March international break after suffering a muscular injury, but he is now back in training. Enzo Maresca could consider including the star player in his matchday squad, which will face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on April 3.