Not many players turn down an opportunity to join Manchester United, but it is exactly what the former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas did when he was at Nottingham Forest. Jenas ended up moving to Newcastle United, who were much more successful back then for £5 million. At that time, Jenas was a highly talented young midfielder trying to make his name at 18. If it may seem that Jenas would have regretted the more, the former Spurs and England midfielder says that he would recommend every youngster to do the same.

Manchester United are the preferred choice when it comes to young players even before they hit 18. The exquisite facilities, higher level of coaches, and an even higher level of competition from teammates consistently push young players to a greater level of development than they would otherwise at other clubs. One of the pitfalls of this higher competition is that players do not get opportunities to play. Jenas says that the opportunity to play outweighs any other factor and he says that young players should prioritise this element over money or other motivations. According to Daily Star, he said:

“I say to youngsters: ‘Go out and play football.’ Go and play for anybody. Don’t sit playing in this under 21 league because you’ll just rot away.

“At the moment there’s too many players that are looked at as a promise or a talent.”

Jenas accepts the fact that he could have been lost in the world of Manchester United stars. The likes of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane being in the centre of midfield would have made it difficult for any young player through getting some first-team opportunities. Even though United have brought through a lot of players from the youth system, Jenas says that the move to Newcastle helped him to continue his progress in life. The midfielder went on to have a reasonably successful career, although it was cut short due to injuries.

Excellence form with Newcastle not only earned him a move to Tottenham, but it also made him a regular with the England national team which also featured Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. After representing the likes of QPR, Jenas decided to call it a day due to multiple injury issues. The 33-year-old is now working as a pundit.

One of the key elements that helps make a right decision is in the interest from a manager. Jenas has recalled how Ferguson was not of much interest in him personally, while Bobby Robson at Newcastle showed a completely different demeanour. Despite being one of the top managers in the game, Robson constantly was in touch with Jenas in order to ensure that he favoured in Newcastle rather than Manchester United or Leeds United. Jenas continued:

“At United they were saying: ‘We’ll develop you and you’ve got all these star players to train with.’

“But I didn’t want that. I wanted to be playing. Bobby didn’t stop ringing my phone – and David O’Leary was ringing me.”