History-making ex-Man United star returns to Premier League in transfer nobody saw coming | OneFootball

Manchester United graduate Angel Gomes has returned to the Premier League five-and-a-half years after his Old Trafford departure.

Back in 2020, the midfielder pulled the curtains on his Red Devils career after spending 14 years on the books.

How Gomes’ United exit played out

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Gomes opted to leave as a free agent, despite being offered contracts to stay put at his boyhood club, as he had reservations about the game time he’d receive if he committed his long-term future to United.

You couldn’t really blame him for doing so. It’s no secret that, for a young and relatively unproven player who’s not fully developed, working through the youth ranks to secure a starting spot in the first team is quite the uphill battle.

Prior to his release, Gomes made 10 senior appearances for United, and etched his name into the history books in May 2017 when he became the youngest debutant (16 years and 263 days old) since Duncan Edwards in 1953.

What’s more, he was also the first player born in the 2000s to play in the Premier League (Wikipedia). The then-youngster did, however, leave without making a single start in the league, with the five top-flight appearances he made all coming from the bench.

Where has Gomes been playing since leaving United?

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Gomes, whose stellar form last season led to him being awarded his first-ever England cap, has since plied his trade in France with Lille for five years, before he again ran down his contract to make a move as a free agent last summer, joining Olympique Marseille on a three-year deal.

After starting 12 Ligue 1 matches and scoring three goals in the first half of the term, Roberto De Zerbi has decided he’s uninterested in keeping the 25-year-old in his ranks for the remainder of 2025/2026.

It was confirmed on deadline day yesterday that Gomes had joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on a four-month loan deal, after which they will have the option of signing him permanently for around £6 million.

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