Ex-Manchester United wonderkid Davide Petrucci has waxed lyrical about a former club teammate that Sir Alex Ferguson was unable to keep hold of at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought Davide Petrucci to Old Trafford in 2008 after Manchester United signed him from Roma for a fee believed to be around £200,000.
Petrucci was part of the United youth academy and made 46 appearances for the Under-21s, with the Italian scoring 10 times and registering 10 assists.
The 32-year-old midfielder was tipped to have a bright future and had loan spells at Peterborough United, Royal Antwerp and Charlton Athletic during his time at United.
However, Petrucci was still at Old Trafford after Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 and was unable to break into the United first team.
The former United wonderkid’s spell at the Premier League club came to an end in 2014 after his contract was terminated and went on to sign for CFR Cluj.
Following his time at Romanian side CFR Cluj, Petrucci went on to play for clubs like Caykur Rizespor, Ascoli, Cosenza, Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Brindisi.
Petrucci on former Man Utd talent
During his spell in the Manchester United youth set-up, Davide Petrucci played alongside former teammates Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison.
Paul Pogba received his senior United debut under Sir Alex Ferguson after emerging through the youth academy, but the Frenchman saw his playing time limited.
The former United midfielder turned down the option to sign a new contract with the Red Devils and went on to complete a free transfer move to Juventus in 2012.
Pogba made a name for himself in his first spell with Juventus, with the 31-year-old former United star becoming one of Europe’s standout talents at the time.
United would bring Pogba back to Old Trafford in 2016 after paying a world-record fee at the time of £89m to sign him from Juventus.
Petrucci insisted that Pogba, who is currently banned from football due to doping offences, knew “exactly what he wanted” and was a “very ambitious” player.
“Paul Pogba had the full package as a footballer,” he told World Football Index.
“He was a great player but, more importantly, he was a great person. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he was very ambitious.
“What he achieved in his career at Juventus and by winning the World Cup with France as well as his second spell at United shows his quality.”
Petrucci talks Ferguson and Man Utd
Despite his struggles at Old Trafford, Petrucci opened up about his family meeting Ferguson and spoke highly of his encounter with the United legend.
“Yes, he met us and was very nice. He made us feel welcome and part of the club right away,” he said.
“He was great at talking through what he wanted me to achieve as well as setting out his standard that you need to work incredibly hard to have an opportunity at a club like Manchester United.
“Sir Alex was an unbelievable person for me with how he treated me. He is the most successful manager of all time, so it was a proud moment for me to work with him.”
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