When Birmingham City announced the decision to retire the No.22 shirt on July 23, 2020, the whole world looked at the Championship club and sniggered. It was a decision that was branded both "tinpot" and "ridiculous" by millions. Some even went as far as describing it as "embarrassing".
The truth is, a little over two years later, nobody is laughing now. In the blink of an eye, Jude Bellingham has evolved into one of the finest footballers on the planet.
The midfielder, who swapped Birmingham for German giants Borussia Dortmund for an eye-watering £25million fee at the age of just 17, produced another outstanding performance on the biggest stage of all on Sunday night, helping England breeze past Senegal to book a World Cup quarter-final date with France in Qatar on Saturday.
READ MORE: United might only have one last chance at signing Jude Bellingham
Setting up Jordan Henderson's opener and playing a key hand in Harry Kane's first goal of the tournament, Bellingham left every football fan watching, whether they were of an England persuasion or not, drooling over his potential.
As former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said in his post-match assessment, Bellingham has "everything" you could wish for in a footballer. He is a Rolls Royce of a player and his potential, to put it bluntly, is actually frightening. You do not want to take your eyes off him.
Although he is still in his teens, he plays with the mentality, maturity and quality of a seasoned professional. It is hard to recall a 19-year-old with so much talent.
Bellingham has started each of England's opening four games in Qatar and has wowed those watching in just about each of them, with his performances against Iran and Senegal being his most glamorous. For Dortmund, however, his performances at the World Cup are only going to increase the volume of activity in their inbox over the coming months.
His progression at Dortmund since arriving in Germany in July 2020 has been rapid, meaning a plethora of big-name European clubs have been tracking his development and dreaming of landing his signature for more than a year. United, who gave Bellingham and his family a tour of their Carrington training base back in March 2020, at the time hoping to secure his signature there and then, have continued to be constantly linked with him.
But with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid, all of whom have been far more successful than United have in recent years, both domestically and in Europe, also in the running, it is going to be hard for the Reds to compete. But while there is still so much as a chance of landing Bellingham, they should be doing all they can to try and lay their hands on a genuine superstar.
For that to stand any chance of happening, however, United must secure Champions League football for next season. They are currently fifth in the Premier League table, three points shy of the top four, meaning it is by no means impossible for them to return to Europe's premier club competition for next season.
Under Erik ten Hag, United have been on a gradual progression path over the last few months, but still remain a work-in-progress. For all of their good work, however, they still need a potent goal threat at the top end of the pitch. The Reds are the lowest scorers currently inside the top seven, scoring just 20 times in the Premier League so far this season.
Everyone knows that United need to add a striker to their ranks in 2023, whether it be in January or in the summer, to take them to the next level. Napoli's Victor Osimhen has been identified as a player of interest, but a move for him is not likely to come to fruition until next summer, if at all.
But with the race for Bellingham likely to conclude next summer, such is the clamour for his signature, United must ensure they enter next summer's transfer window with Champions League football as part of their sales pitch. As hard as it will still be to land him ahead of their domestic and European rivals, having Champions League football on offer will make the task slightly easier.
It is why United should make it their mission to recruit a striker, albeit sensibly, in January. The last time they made a statement signing mid-season, Bruno Fernandes proved the difference between securing Champions League football and not. He made an immediate impact, scoring eight goals and registering seven assists in just 14 Premier League appearances between his January arrival and the end of the season.
If United can source a player capable of making a similar kind of impact, they should be in the conversation to finish in the top four come May. That, therefore, could lead to something even better.
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