Arsenal urged to sign ex-Man Utd star who Jose Mourinho left on the verge of tears

Arsenal have been urged to partner Declan Rice with former Manchester United star Angel Gomes next season. Gunners icon Lee Dixon believes Gomes would be a ‘superb fit’ at the Emirates Stadium.

The 24-year-old midfielder has excelled for Lille since leaving United in 2020. He was handed his senior England debut by Lee Carsley in September.

Several Premier League clubs have been linked with bringing Gomes back to England. Dixon believes Arsenal should get to the front of the queue, pointing out that the diminutive star has already proved he can play alongside Rice.

“I think Angel Gomes would fit in at Arsenal superbly,” Dixon told plejmo.com. “His qualities are clear to see, he’s a very good link-up player and we’ve seen that he can play alongside Declan Rice.

“He’s got a lot of potential and although there will be plenty of clubs looking at him, I could see him at Arsenal next season.”

An extremely highly-rated prospect at United, Gomes struggled to make an impact at first-team level. That is despite him becoming the youngest player to debut for the club since the legendary Duncan Edwards, featuring aged 16 in 2017.

Gomes made only nine more appearances for the Red Devils before deciding to run down his contract in 2020. He turned down Barcelona that summer, opting for the clearer pathway to the senior team at Lille.

Earlier this month, Gomes revealed he was left on the verge of tears by a ferocious dressing down from Jose Mourinho.

He told The Times: “He didn’t think I had played up to standard [in a reserves match] to warrant a place in the first-team squad, and he just really let me know. 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.”