The mightily dynamic defender was one of many beneficiaries of Hansi Flick’s arrival as manager, with the German smartly using his full-backs to maximise the strengths of both. Jules Koundé’s capacity to tuck inside offered Balde greater license to bomb forward and affect proceedings in the final third.

The Manchester-born United fan who netted twice on his debut seemed like a fairytale story, and for a while it was, with the then-18-year-old even playing a part in a major trophy win as Manchester United won a first FA Cup in 13 years that May.

Marcus Rashford has been given the chance to revive his career at Barcelona with a season-long loan move from Manchester United announced Wednesday. The England forward, once considered among Europe’s top talents,