The 20-year-old is loving life in Portugal, but he revealed the reason why he had to move away from Manchester United.
Angel Gomes explained the reason behind his departure from Manchester United as he signed Lille during summer. The young winger did not get minutes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, therefore he decided to move on and go to France. However, immediately after his transfer, the Ligue 1 side loaned him to Boavista. And since joining the Portuguese club, Gomes has been receiving positive feedbacks with his regular performance.
Apparently, the 20-year-old revealed that he needed to find happiness in his football career. As a result, Gomes left United in search of personal development. Nevertheless, he spent 14 years at Old Trafford and made a decision that could provide him with future opportunities. “It’s such a special club but I just wanted to be able to play and express myself,” he told The Independent.
“I was offered a great contract, I had all my family and friends around me, but I decided that I was willing to sacrifice that to pursue a different path. It’s hard to understand how difficult a decision that was. I’m still a United fan. I still watch every game now, whether it’s the first team or the U18s. I could have stayed and gone out on loan but it just felt like I needed a fresh start.”
Finding his joy elsewhere.
Gomes mentioned that Lille director Luis Campos influenced him to join the French top-tier. “We spoke for a couple of hours, he knew me inside-out as a player, and he showed me his plan. It was exactly what I needed to hear,” Gomes says. “In the first year, he wanted me to go to Boavista, it’d be a clean slate and I spoke to the manager there and loved his ideas.
“I didn’t see it as a step back, saw it as my chance to kick on. I didn’t want to go somewhere and have that label of being a youngster. Wanted to play 90 minutes, have an important role, and show what I can do.”
Furthermore, Boavista is struggling to find a balance in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. But Gomes needed the change and finds it reviving. “It’s actually quite refreshing,” he says. “A year ago, I would never have thought I’d be in this position, but I’m really enjoying it. The manager just wants me to always be on the ball and involved in the game and that’s perfect for me. I’m ambitious and I’m excited about what’s ahead, to carry on like how I’ve started, and go back to Lille full of confidence.”
The England international played his first game for United at the age of 16. Though, he could not get enough time in the first-team. “Football is like a rollercoaster and I went through a lot of highs,” Gomes said. “I had the right people around me and I stayed grounded, but when you hit a few lows it starts to build upon you. It can be hard to show your emotions and you’ve got to just keep giving your all in training [even though you’re not playing].
“But when you go home, deep down you know you’re not quite the same as normal. I’m usually very bubbly and your family notice those little changes in you. I wanted to get back to where I was and find happiness in my football.”
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