Lucas Bergvall was blocked from signing for Man Utd after two trials because of little-known rule

The bizarre reason why Lucas Bergvall was not allowed to sign for Manchester United after two trials has been revealed.

Tottenham Hotspur's Bergvall stole all of the headlines on Wednesday after scoring a controversial late winner during the first leg of the club's Carabao Cup semi-final against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The 18-year-old joined Tottenham in the July 2024 after former club Djurgarden agreed a deal with the London club five months prior, with the Swedish side receiving a reported fee approaching £8.5m.

And now, the little-known reason why the youngster didn't sign for United despite impressing in trials earlier in his career has been revealed.

Bergvall had two separate trials with United years before he joined Tottenham while he was with Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna.

The first was in 2020 when Bergvall was just 15, and after impressing staff at the trial, United reportedly considered making a bid just shy of £1.5million.

However, the bid never came and before Bergvall could return for his second trial with United, Brexit regulations were imposed on English clubs that meant that they could no longer sign overseas players to academies before they turned 18.

United were well aware of the incoming regulations and signed a series of international youngster before they were imposed, including Alejandro Garnacho, Willy Kambwala Hannibal Mejbri, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Alvaro Fernandez and Marc Jurado.

Despite the regulations, United still invited Bervall his second trial in 2022 shortly after his 16th birthday so that they could indicate to the player and his agents that they were interested in signing him once he turned 18.

During the trial, the Swede impressed as he assisted a goal during a match with the United under-16s.

Lucas Bergvall scored Tottenham's winner against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final. (Image: Getty)

However, sources told Manchester Evening News that the change of United's recruitment staff in 2022 is largely what led to the club missing out on securing his signature when he turned 18 last year.

Instead, Tottenham pounced on the chance to sign the promising youngster, and so far it looks like a great deal.

"Lucas was brilliant," Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou said immediately after his goal secured the 1-0 win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

"I just don't think people really understand the level of performance that these young guys are giving us at the moment.

"Lucas is just growing all the time. He's got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He's got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well."