Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has revealed that the club passed up the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappé when the French forward was still a promising teenager at Monaco.
Giggs, who was Manchester United assistant manager at the time, said he personally recommended that the club’s scouts watch Mbappé after being impressed by the youngster’s ability.
According to Giggs, he first became aware of Mbappé around 2015 while the player was developing at Monaco.
He discussed the youngster with fellow United assistant Albert Stuivenberg, and the pair watched footage of him before informing the club’s scouting department.
“I watched Mbappé when he was at Monaco and he was an exceptional talent, so I advised Manchester United’s scouts to go and watch him,” Giggs said.
The club eventually sent a scout to watch Mbappé during a Monaco match against Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the report from the scout did not convince Manchester United to pursue the player.
“Later, I asked them what happened, and they told me: ‘We weren’t completely sure about his ability, so we decided not to sign him,’” Giggs revealed.
The decision has become one of the most notable transfer opportunities Manchester United missed. Mbappé went on to become one of the biggest stars in world football.
After making his breakthrough with Monaco, he helped the club win the Ligue 1 title during the 2016/17 season. He later joined Paris Saint-Germain, initially on loan, before completing a permanent move to the French giants.
His performances at PSG eventually earned him a move to Real Madrid, where he continued his rise as one of football’s leading forwards.
