Experts explain why ‘big deal’ Angel Gomes became so good after Manchester United exit

‘Obviously’, Gomes said, he would jump at the chance to pick up where he left off when leaving Old Trafford upon the expiration of his contract, per L’Equipe.

Now, with the metronomic midfielder set to become a free-agent for the second time in his young career, Man United will surely be tempted to bring the Carrington graduate’s career full circle and see him follow in the footsteps of former team-mate Leny Yoro.

Angel Gomes is open to Manchester United return

Angel Gomes’ eye-catching performances during England’s triumph at the 2023 Under 21 European Championships shone a light on just how impressively he has developed over the last few seasons.

And his subsequent emergence into the senior Three Lions set-up has provided a far clearer indication as to what the Red Devils are missing out on.

Ironically, Gomes looks like precisely the kind of profile Man United are lacking right now. A deep-lying playmaker who can receive the ball with his back to goal, break the lines with those piercing passes, and dance out of danger due to his press-resistant talents.

An almost Kobbie Mainoo-esque talent thriving in a role currently occupied by the increasingly error-prone Casemiro in Erik ten Hag’s starting XI.

With both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen likely to depart in the relatively near future, the clamour is growing for Man United to right the wrongs of 2020 and bring Gomes back on a free transfer half-a-decade later.

“A very good spell with Lille so far. He’s really impressed me with the kind of profile of player he is,” Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson tells the On the Continent podcast, believing that even Lille themselves have been taken aback by the sheer speed of the London-born 24-year-old’s ascent.

“The expectation when he arrived wasn’t necessarily that he would develop into one of the key players in the team. But Gomes has become this really crucial figure.

“He’s good value for the recognition he’s getting with England. I hope to see him become a staple with the Three Lions. He has been a very consistent performer with them over the years.”

Gomes, who turned down a contract offer by Man United in search of more regular football elsewhere, spent the 2020/21 season in Portugal with Boavista.

Thanks to the connections between Boavista and Lille due to their shared ownership, Gomes then arrived in France.

And Andy Brassell – an oracle of all things European football – believes that the England national team are benefitting from the career path taken by a man who combines the technical qualities he honed in Portugal with the more physical, fast-paced talents he developed across the Channel.

England star joins Kobbie Mainoo in Three Lions set-up

“It’s not a Jude Bellingham-type career plan but I think he has used every opportunity really well,” Brassell adds, Gomes another homegrown talent moving abroad to further his development.

“Boavista was very, very productive for him. He was a different type of player then, he was an attacking midfielder and he’s developed into a different role at Lille.

“Ligue 1 has really helped him. In Portugal, he was encouraged to be proactive with the ball, and he’s kept that in France while doing it under far greater pressure. For someone of his stature, that is a really big deal to be able to do that.

“It’s worked out really, really well for him.”

In an era of midfield specialists, Brassell believes that Gomes is something of an all-rounder. Hailed by Man United legends Roy Keane and Paul Scholes after his first England start in the 2-0 win over Finland at Wembley, Gomes prides himself upon his flexibility in the centre of the park, per The Athletic.

“The key thing for me about Angel Gomes, this week when asked ‘what kind of midfielder are you?’, he said ‘I am just a midfielder.

“‘I can play anywhere in these roles. If you want to make me a six, I’m a six. If you want to make me an eight, I am an eight. If you want me to play as a number ten – like I did at Boavista – I can play as a number ten’.

“I think that versatility is a direct product of the career path he’s taken as well, as his ability to absorb information and adapt to new coaching and new systems.”

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