Watford winger Tom Ince has lifted the lid on how close he was to following in his father’s footsteps by signing for Manchester United.
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Tom Ince playing against Birmingham
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Man Utd wanted Tom Ince at the age of 12
Long before Watford winger Tom Ince became recognised as a Championship specialist, there were high hopes for him at an early age.
His dad, Paul Ince, was the engine of United’s midfield during the early 1990s. He earned the nickname ‘Guv’nor’ before leaving Old Trafford for Inter Milan, before eventually joining Liverpool.
Ince was often linked with a move to United, but it never materialised as he graduated from Liverpool’s academy only to join Blackpool. He also played for Hull City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Stoke City, Reading and now Watford.
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When asked about leaving Tranmere at the age of 12 for Liverpool, Ince opened up on receiving an offer from United.
“Liverpool and Man United both came in both offered a million pound for me when I was 12,” Ince told Total Media.
“A million pound. They offered each of them me when I was 12. They offered a million pound to Tranmere.
“So at the time it was like United or Liverpool, Dad. I played for both. So I was like, do you know what I mean?
“Again, I come back to Steve Heighway at Liverpool, as I spoke to him and something about Liverpool just drew me there. So yeah, I went from Tranmere to Liverpool.”
That was a significant amount of pay for a 12-year-old, but it doesn’t sound like one United were regretting in the years that followed.
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Tom Ince lost five of his six meetings against Man Utd
Ince made six appearances against United, with the first game coming during a loan spell at Crystal Palace. That was the first of five defeats Ince suffered against the Red Devils.
Remarkably, his only win came in 2017 when he was playing for Huddersfield Town, who beat United 2-1.
Having failed to score a goal in all of those games, Ince did manage one assist against United during his spell at Reading.
It remains to be seen if Ince will ever face United again as he continues to play in the Championship.
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