Man United can undo huge mistake that's haunted them since 2018 by signing Brazilian wonderkid in January

It’s one of the biggest transfer what-ifs in modern football, a sliding doors moment that could’ve changed the course of a Champions League, Premier League titles, altered the trajectory of two superclubs and a mistake that gets brought up every time Manchester United and Manchester City face off.

Had The Red Devils made the right choice they could’ve been Champions League regulars in the last four or five seasons and won much more than just an FA Cup and League Cup in the 2020s. Meanwhile The Citizens would’ve struggled to complete their unprecedented Premier League quadruple, or become European and world champions for the first time.

You probably know the story already. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed a teenage Erling Haaland at Molde and tipped off the Old Trafford coaching staff as to how special the Norwegian goal machine was.

“I had him in Molde, for two seasons,” Solskjaer later told Sky Bet (via DAZN). “The summer before I got here [Manchester United], I rang the club and said, ‘You’ve got to sign this boy – he’ll be top class’.

“That was June/July 2018, and they said no – they had enough reports on players. Then I became the caretaker manager [of United], and we’d sold Haaland to RB Salzburg. I tell the club straight away to buy him while he has a release clause. We knew that then, and no one else would’ve paid the money - €20 million [£17.7m today], it would’ve been a bargain. Even though with his links with Alfie [Haaland], and Manchester City and Leeds.

“It was the club’s decision to not go for it then. We never made bids or went in for him, until after he started scoring for Salzburg. By then, Borussia Dortmund were there, Juventus were there, everyone was there. His release clause then was still good - €60m [£53m].”

Since then, The Red Devils have been unable to escape Haaland’s shadow. He set the tone by scoring a hat-trick (with two more assists) in his first Manchester derby and has scored a further five goals in five top flight meetings between the sides alongside his Premier League Golden Boots, European Golden Shoe and seven winners’ medals.

Well it’s not quite the same inside track, but seven-and-a-half years later Manchester United have the chance to atone for snubbing Haaland after being linked with Brazilian wonderkid Dell.

Where has the Dell hype come from?

Having thankfully shortened his name from Wendeson Wanderley Santos de Melo, Dell plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A side Bahia has only played 39 minutes of senior football across two games in regional or state competitions.

However, it’s his performances in youth football that have had him nicknamed the ‘Haaland of Sertao’ (meaning hinterland or backcountry). Hailing from a relatively sparsely populated coastal area in Brazil, Dell surely won’t stay at Bahia for long if he keeps performing the way he has at the Under-17 World Cup.

Three goals from three in the group stage has put Dell on the map and he scored the opening penalty in the Selecao U17s’ shootout victory over France to advance to the quarter-finals.

That’s following seven in 11 matches plus an assist in U20s action this season too, with Dell’s poacher’s instinct particularly impressive despite his slight frame compared to Haaland - the Brazilian is listed on Transfermarkt as 5’8” tall. ‘The Defoe of Sertao’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it. But will Manchester United pull the trigger?

Red Devils can’t afford to get Dell call right

Obviously there’s no telling yet whether Dell could even carve out a lengthy career in senior football, let alone emulate one of the best strikers in the history of the sport.

Bahia are already protecting themselves against that possibility though, slapping a €100m (£87m) release clause on their potential superstar. Nor are The Red Devils the only club chasing Dell - Manchester City and AC Milan are interested according to the Daily Mail. However, the renowned Carrington academy has started to run dry in recent seasons and Dell could be the perfect player to reinvigorate that well.

Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Elanga, Dean Henderson and Kobbie Mainoo are the four recognisable graduates of the 2020s but three are starring for Manchester United’s Premier League rivals right now, one is frozen out by Ruben Amorim and it’s hard to see who could be the next name added to the illustrious list of Carrington success stories.

So will they shouldn’t splash almost nine figures on someone who hasn’t even played 90 minutes of senior football yet, The Red Devils can’t afford to miss out on yet another generational striker talent.