Angel Gomes will be reunited with former Manchester United team-mate Mason Greenwood at Marseille next season, five years after being left humiliated by Jose Mourinho
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Sport
13:59, 12 Jun 2025
Angel Gomes of Lille looks on during the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round match between Fenerbahce and Lille FC at Ulker Stadium on August 13, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey
Angel Gomes has agreed to leave Lille for Ligue 1 rivals Marseille(Image: Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
Mason Greenwood is set to reunite with former Manchester United team-mate Angel Gomes at Marseille next season.
The pair will play alongside each other in France five years after Gomes left the Red Devils, with the midfielder once having been driven close to tears by former United manager Jose Mourinho.
Marseille announced this week that they have agreed a deal in principle to sign England international Gomes. The Ligue 1 runners-up, led by Roberto De Zerbi, outmanoeuvred several other clubs to secure his signature, with the 24-year-old reportedly signing a three-year contract at the Orange Velodrome.
RMC Sport previously reported that the United academy graduate was swayed by De Zerbi's style of play and the chance to play in the Champions League. Gomes had previously voiced his intention to leave Lille upon the expiration of his contract this summer.
The midfielder moved to Lille at the end of his United contract in the summer of 2020, having been earmarked for success at Old Trafford since joining the club in 2006. The England U21s European Championship winner was given his debut at just 16 by Mourinho on the final day of the 2016/17 season, making him United's youngest ever Premier League player.
However, despite the faith shown in him by the current Fenerbahce boss, a 17-year-old Gomes was once nearly brought to tears when Mourinho criticised his performance in a reserve team match in front of the entire first team.
He recalled in an interview with The Athletic: "I played a game for the reserves and he watched — he didn’t think I played good enough. Two days later, the first team had a game, and he took me with the team. At the pre-match, in front of everybody, he let me know about it."
Manager Jose Mourinho, Jesse Lingard and Angel Gomes of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Aon Training Complex on May 19, 2017 in Manchester, England.
Jose Mourinho brought Angel Gomes into the Manchester United first team set-up
Expanding on the story in an interview with The Times, Gomes said: "At the time I was thinking, 'Why has he done that in front of everyone? Could he not have pulled me to the side?'
"A few of the players came up to me and said, 'He just wants a reaction from you, don't let it faze you', but in that moment, I didn't want to hear anything.
'I rushed to my room and rang my dad and my brother. There's not much they could say to me really. I was almost crying. I was really young.
"It wasn't until I was older that I realised, with Mourinho, he's always looking at ways to get more out of you. I think him doing that in front of everyone showed he valued me as a player. I probably needed it."
He went on to add: "It's all mental toughness. What I came to learn about Jose is he always wants you to do better. He is almost like prodding you, 'Come on, show me a bit more. Everyone's told me how good you are, but I want to see it.'"
Brandon Williams, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood pictured training in 2020 at Manchester United
Academy stars Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood both broke into the United first team as teenagers
Despite the mental blow at the time, Gomes has since recognised the value in Mourinho's approach, saying: "It wasn't until I left and I see Jose winning trophies that I think, 'Ah, I understand you. And if only I had understood you more, I would have been able to appreciate my time more with you'. But no, in the midst of little b*********s, [he was] an amazing guy."
Gomes left United during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time in charge, two years after Mourinho's sacking in 2018. Under Solskjaer, Gomes’ playing opportunities were scarce, though the emerging Greenwood was able to establish himself in the first team during the 2019/20 campaign.
Having spent just 320 minutes on the pitch for United, Gomes left on a free transfer, reflecting on it as the "most difficult period" in his career. Although the first year of his five-year contract with Lille saw him loaned out to Boavista in Portugal, the move marked a turning point in his professional career.
He made 134 appearances in all competitions for Lille, including 20 this season as they finished fifth in the league.
Gomes also impressed in a Three Lions shirt last year after receiving his first four caps under interim boss Lee Carsley. However, Gomes has not yet featured under new manager Thomas Tuchel.