It was a proud moment for Charlie McNeill and his family when he made his Manchester United debut last month.
The 19-year-old came off the bench for the final stages of United's Europa League clash at home to Real Sociedad on September 8.
And while he and his family will have been beaming at his breakthrough, one forward-thinking punter was also toasting the cameo. A supporter, who wishes to remain anonymous, scooped a £25,000 windfall after placing a bet on McNeill turning out for United.
The 63-year-old from Manchester placed a bet of £100 at odds of 250-1 with bookmaker Coral back in October 2012 after seeing McNeill playing youth football for West End Boys.
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The punter was so impressed by what he saw, he told friends and family that he was reminded of the legendary United star George Best.
Speaking to Coral, the fan said: "I knew Charlie's family back then, so saw him play quite a bit when he was young, and after one particular match, I was telling everyone that he reminded me of George Best, who I saw when I was a kid, that's how good Charlie was, even at an early age.
"And of course, they all laughed at me, thought I was mad! He ended up signing for the Manchester City academy, so as well as the £100 at 250-1 that he'd play for United, I also placed a bet of £100 at 150-1 that he would play for City, and a bit later, a bet of £100 at 50-1 that he would play for England.
"As a United fan I don't want the City bet to be a winner now, as we need all the help we can get to beat them! But hopefully the England bet will be a winner in the future."
Coral's David Stevens commented: "This punter deserves every penny of his £25,000 winnings, as spotting Charlie's potential so early on was incredible, and his good fortune may not be over yet, as an England debut would spark another payout, as would a switch to Manchester City, although I know this keen United fan would rather not win that bet!"
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