England: Ryan Giggs reveals how Manchester United scouts missed out on Kylian Mbappé

Now considered one of the best strikers in the world, Kylian Mbappé could have had a very different career path. Before establishing himself at AS Monaco, then Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, the young Frenchman had already attracted the attention of several major European clubs. Among them was Manchester United, who, however, reportedly decided not to pursue him.

This incredible missed opportunity was recounted by Ryan Giggs. The former Red Devils legend, who was then part of the Manchester club's coaching staff, revealed the behind-the-scenes story on the podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief.

A meeting that could have changed everything

At the time, Kylian Mbappé was still playing in the youth ranks of AS Monaco. In 2015, even though he had not yet made his debut with the first team, his talent was already being noticed by some observers.

It was precisely during this period that Ryan Giggs received a rather unexpected recommendation. While in the south of France, the former Welsh international was approached by a man who advised him to keep a very close eye on a young Monaco player.

“He told me, ‘I’m a big Manchester United fan and a big fan of yours. I watch a lot of youth football in France and you absolutely have to watch this player. His name is Kylian Mbappé. He plays for Monaco and I think he’s a player for Manchester United,’” Giggs recounted.

A few weeks later, this man allegedly even sent him an email containing more information about the young striker.

The former Manchester United player wasn't satisfied with just this recommendation. He decided to form his own opinion and, accompanied by another member of the Manchester United staff, went to observe Mbappé during several AS Monaco youth matches.

According to Giggs, the young Frenchman already possessed qualities that clearly distinguished him from other players of his generation.

"Sometimes you see players who have something special, but he really looked exceptional. "It was obvious," he explained.

Convinced by what he had just seen, Giggs then passed on his impressions to Manchester United's recruitment team. The English club, in turn, sent a scout to France to assess Mbappé's potential.

Manchester United's verdict hurts even more

The Manchester scout notably attended a match between Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain to analyze the young Frenchman. But, contrary to expectations, the report submitted to the club was not convincing enough.

Some time after this observation, Giggs sought to know the decision made by the recruiters.

The answer left the former Welsh midfielder perplexed: Manchester United were simply not convinced by Mbappé and had decided to abandon this pursuit.

“I asked him how it went. He replied, ‘They weren’t really convinced by him, so we dropped it.’ And that was it,” Giggs recounted.

A missed opportunity with history

Kylian Mbappé's subsequent career has given this decision a whole new dimension. The Frenchman quickly established himself at Monaco before joining PSG in 2017, and then becoming one of the biggest stars in world football.

For its part, Manchester United continued to invest heavily in the transfer market without managing to sustainably return to the top of European football.

In hindsight, the episode recounted by Ryan Giggs appears as one of the major missed opportunities in recent Manchester United recruitment history. The club had been alerted very early on to Mbappé's exceptional potential, had scouted him, and had even received a positive assessment from one of its own former players. But ultimately, the scouts were not convinced.

Eleven years later, with Mbappé having become a global superstar, this decision is bound to remain one of Manchester United's biggest regrets for a long time.