Liverpool striker Divock Origi has spoken about how he rejected Manchester United ‒ the club he is preparing to face in the Europa League on Thursday.
The 20-year-old turned down Sir Alex Ferguson five years ago as a schoolboy as he was in the academy at Ligue 1 club Lille.
The Belgium international signed for Liverpool in 2014 for £10million
‘I never regret anything,’ said Origi, who started up front for Liverpool against Crystal Palace on Sunday. ‘I think it was just the decision of my heart. At that moment I just realised about the academy and Lille and the French League. I saw Eden Hazard coming through and other players there, like Gervinho and Joe Cole.
I thought I would have the chance to get through at Lille, and so I said no to Manchester United. At that moment, I was 15 years old. I didn’t have anything against United or any other team.
‘In fact, my dream was to play in the Premier League one day, but my heart said that I had to go through at Lille.’
Origi also said: ‘I came back from school and my father and mother were sat down, discussing something. I knew they had a way that they wanted things to go, but they told me I could choose ‒ for parents to say this to a child of 15 was incredible. So I had a day of thinking, and for me the most logical option was to stay with Lille.’
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