Man Utd Wonderkid Snubbed Three-Year Deal after Conversation with Patrick Vieira

A Manchester United wonderkid snubbed a three-year deal after a conversation with Patrick Vieira.

For most youngsters, the offer of a professional contract with Man United is too difficult to turn down. But Deji Sotona made the bold decision to leave the club in pursuit of first-team football.

The 22-year-old winger was one of the brightest prospects in United's academy and in 2019, he was the fastest player in the club, according to The Daily Mail. He was quicker than first-team stars including Marcus Rashford, Daniel James and the previous record holder Diogo Dalot.

Sotana impressed at youth level for United's academy and the Republic of Ireland.

Deji Sotana at Doncaster Rovers. Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA / Contributor via Getty

But when he was offered a three-year professional contract he rejected it as he decided to join Patrick Viera at Nice.

Sotana explained: "I was 17, almost 18. Patrick Vieira called me telling me that I'm going to play first team football and that he's got plans for me at the club.

"He's going to develop me into a different type of player.

“He called me a few times, not only once, had a few conversations. He’s a legend. I said ‘I’ve got to make a decision here’, I loved my time at United, rejecting that pro [contract] was not easy.

“Him saying I’m going to play first team football at 17, it’s a dream, I feel like many people would take that.

“United were saying I’m going to train first team, Nice were saying every single day first team guaranteed."

Patrick Vieira coaching French side Nice. Image: VALERY HACHE / Contributor via Getty

However, his time in France proved to be far more difficult than he expected. Nice struggled badly, with five straight defeats at the end of 2020 dumping them out of the Europa League and in the bottom-half of Ligue 1.

Sotana added: “As I get there, first day, my first touch of the ball someone's clamped me. It was tough.”

“Nice were struggling, losing a lot of games, you know what the fans are like there, one home game they attacked the team bus. Next morning Patrick Vieira was gone.”

Sotana was soon demoted to the reserves by Viera's replacement Adrian Ursea.

He returned to England in January 2022, for a loan with Brentford B, before another unsuccessful stint at Scottish side Kilmarnock. Sotana joined Burnley's academy in January 2023, but he was released that summer.

He has had short stints at non-league sides Boston United and Eastleigh, but his career has failed to ignite

Last August, he suffered an ACL injury that ruled him out for the season. He is once again at a crossroads in his career as a free agent once again.