Manchester United, back in 2018, missed out on signing Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies, then playing in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps, after his trial was cancelled as he was due in the Olympic camp that year.
Davies made headlines on Wednesday after a sumptuous performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The 19-year-old, playing as a left-back/wing-back, not only kept Mason Mount at bay but also provided an assist to Robert Lewandowski’s goal with a rapid pace.
— TheFootballAddick (@FootballAddick) February 25, 2020
Davies, who made his senior team debut at the age of 15 for Vancouver Whitecaps, joined Bayern Munich in July 2018 for a fee reported to be around $13.5 million, potentially rising to $22 million depending on add-ons, making him the most expensive export from MLS at the time.
— TheFootballAddick (@FootballAddick) February 25, 2020
The story would have been entirely different if only his scheduled three-week trial with Manchester United in 2018 had not been called off. As per Manchester Evening News, the then 17-year-old Davies was due a trial in January, but international commitments mean he rather joined Canada’s Olympic team camp under coach Octavio Zambrano during the time.
After the camp, his team - Vancouver Whitecaps – were unsure if they would allow him to travel to Manchester as the new MLS campaign was due in March. And as things panned out, Bayern Munich secured his signing in July 2018 on a five-year contract.
This Alphonso Davies looks a right player. Top class last night pic.twitter.com/3Sj4Zcov5x
— Conor Stroud (@ConorStroud) February 26, 2020
Davies eventually made his Bundesliga debut in January 2019 against Stuttgart and scored one goal in six appearances. This season, the 19-year-old has notched a total of six assists in all competitions and the best arguably came against Chelsea on Tuesday night. Davies took on not one or two but three Chelsea players before delivering a pin-point ball towards Robert Lewandowski, who made no mistake in making it three for the visitors.
The youngster completed his night by winning 100% of his tackles, a 91% pass accuracy, completed six of seven take-ons and made eight ball recoveries.
