Man Utd uncovered "gem" Vinicius Jr aged just 14 - but missed out on transfer

Real Madrid lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final 4-3 against Manchester City at the Etihad on Tuesday, with Vinicius Junior scoring their second goal

Manchester United were interested in signing Vinicius Junior in 2015, when he was just 14 years old.

The Brazil international, now 21, scored a superb goal in Real Madrid's 4-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad on Tuesday. Picking up the ball in his own half, he flicked it through Fernandinho's legs before running through on goal and finding the back of the net.

Vinicius is enjoying a breakthrough season in the Spanish capital, scoring 18 goals in all competitions. He's become one of Real's best players and is leading Real's charge in La Liga and the Champions League. They need just one more point to win the Spanish title.

Vinicius agreed to join Real in May 2017, with the Spanish giants paying Flamengo €46million (around £38.6m) for the 16-year-old's services. He didn't move to the Spanish capital until the following July when he turned 18.

It took a while for the youngster to flourish. Vinicius scored just eight La Liga goals during his first three seasons at Real, yet he's since fulfilled his potential. According to Transfermarkt, he's now worth £90m - and his value is likely to increase in the coming years.

But the winger could've been entertaining crowds in the Premier League if United had got their way. According to Carlos Noval, who was an academy coach at Flamengo, the Red Devils sent a scout to Brazil to watch the talent in 2015.

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Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Noval said: "A foreign scout from Manchester United said: 'Noval, look at the player you have, he’s a gem! I’ve never seen a 14-year-old player do what he does.' That reinforced everything we already had in mind. He was a gem to be polished. Everyone wanted Vinicius."

On the other clubs interested in Vinicius back in 2015, Noval added: "Corinthians didn't get to talk to us because they didn't have the slightest chance of him leaving... Barcelona, in particular, monitored this boy since he was 13 years old.

" Real Madrid and most of the big European clubs too. we had more contact, they came to talk to us, but Vini could only leave the country at the age of 18. European clubs are very keen to know what the athlete's family, representatives and off-field is like."

Vinicius discussed his improvement in an interview with UEFA in February. "My style of play has a lot of character," he said. "I'm not afraid of making mistakes and, if I make them, I'll just keep trying. I play with joy. I believe I've improved a lot.

"I still have a lot of room for improvement because I'm very young and I like to learn with the great players who play here. I'm very happy because everyone here tries to help me as much as they can so that I can improve and learn as quickly as possible to help."

Vinicius added: "I've always had confidence in my game, but when you start scoring more and assisting more you become more important for the team – and, of course, you get more confidence. You start wanting to help no matter what and in every match."