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Barcelona defender Todibo reveals Manchester United refused to sign him after trial
The Frenchman has opened up on his brief experience in the Old Trafford academy ranks before his move to Toulouse
Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo has revealed that Manchester United refused to sign him after a trial in his teenage years.
Todibo began his professional journey at Toulouse, where he spent three years before being snapped up by Barcelona on a free transfer in January 2019.
The French centre-back's career trajectory could have been quite different had United decided to offer him a contract before he moved to Stadium de Toulouse from Les Lilas as a youth player.
The 20-year-old says he was pleased with how he performed during his brief trial with the Red Devils, but was left in the dark when they decided against bringing him onto their books permanently.
"It was crazy, I went from Les Lilas to United," Todibo told Onze Mondial. "It was a dream that was coming true when I hadn’t done anything, really. It was just a trial. Everything went well, but I wasn’t taken.
"I don’t know why my trial didn’t lead to anything. I still haven’t received an explanation to this day."
The defender's first year at Barca was a frustrating one, as he was restricted to just five first-team appearances amid strong competition for places alongside the likes of Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti.
The Blaugrana decided to send Todibo out on loan to Schalke in the winter transfer window, and he featured in ten games for the German outfit before missing the end of the 2019-20 campaign through injury.
The France U20 international feels he was unfairly omitted from Barca's squad on a number of occasions in the first half of the season, as he added: "For me, this season, I deserved more playing time.
"The first six months, when I arrived, I did not mind not playing because in training, I saw that I didn’t have the level yet, but this year, I would have deserved to play more. I didn’t make a big deal out of it because it was the choice of the coach and I understand.
"If I’m a coach, I prefer to put Pique to Todibo. He has a real track record, he’s a great player - but I think I could have played certain matches."
