Manchester United fans will always relish a goal that dents Liverpool's hopes, and the Red Devils inadvertently played a role in Tottenham's League Cup semi-final triumph on Wednesday night. Lucas Bergvall, who emerged as Tottenham's hero, once had a stint as a trialist at United three years prior.
The young midfielder has seized his opportunity at Spurs amidst a spate of injuries, making his eighth start in the 1-0 victory over Liverpool. His first goal for Tottenham was a composed finish beyond Alisson, earning high praise from Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou, who said: "Lucas was brilliant," and highlighted the impressive performances of two 18-year-olds, including Archie Gray playing out of position at centre back.
"I just don't think people really understand the level of performance that these young guys are giving us at the moment."
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He added: "Lucas is just growing all the time. He's got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He's got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well."
Bergvall's connection with United includes two separate trials while he was with IF Brommapojkarna, one in 2020 when he was just 15, before Brexit regulations restricted English clubs from signing overseas players under 18.
United's academy had previously made significant investments to recruit international talents like Hannibal Mejbri, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Alvaro Fernandez, Marc Jurado, Alejandro Garnacho, and Willy Kambwala before the Brexit deadline.
Sergio de Souza, United's scout for Scandinavia, first spotted Bergvall when he was just 15, sparking rumours of a potential bid from the Red Devils nearing £1.5million. Following his second trial in 2022, shortly after turning 16, Bergvall even managed to claim an assist in a game for United's Under 16s.
Despite being unable to officially sign Bergvall until 2024, these trials were organised to establish the club's interest. However, insiders suggest that changes within United's recruitment staff in 2022 led to Bergvall slipping through their fingers.
The young talent ultimately chose to join Djurgardens in December 2022. Fast forward to February last year, and Spurs snapped up Bergvall for a cool £8.5m as soon as he turned 18.
