Manchester United's name in football carries weight. Many players across the world grew up supporting the Reds, and occasionally, that proves to be an advantage when signing players.
A quick scan on Google and you will quickly learn that some of Europe's best-known players supported the club. Players like James Maddison, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling and Son Heung-min supposedly followed the Reds before they started their professional careers.
Another player who has publicly gone on record to admit his admiration for United during his childhood is Chelsea's Ben Chilwell. The left-back, who joined the Blues in 2020, has recently been linked with a move to Old Trafford to provide competition to Luke Shaw.
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According to the Daily Mail, United are considering a move for the England international after his future at Chelsea was placed into doubt by new head coach Enzo Maresca.
While it's just reported interest right now, United can take encouragement from Chilwell's love for the club before he started playing football. Speaking to Chelsea's club website last summer, he said: "I used to go to Man United games, funnily enough, with my dad, who supported them.
"The first one, I can’t remember who it was against, but it was a Man United game. We always used to go to the Champions League ones after school, so it would have been a Champions League game at Old Trafford, that’s the first one I remember. Having your first one in the Champions League is pretty good.
"We used to go by train, we would have to take about four different trains, straight from school, and just about make it for kick-off, then get about four different trains on the way home as well, get home for one o’clock in the morning, straight in to school the next morning again, but they were brilliant memories.
"It’s nights like that which make you fall in love with football. Going straight from school, six- or seven-hour round trip, just to go and watch a game. Just being starstruck and in awe of all the players, that’s the kind of night which makes you love football I guess.
"I was focused all on the pitch, trying to find my favourite players at the time and just seeing them in person was crazy. Just the feeling of awe at the position they were in and looking up to them like gods.
"Of course the atmosphere’s amazing, but I was definitely one of those people focused on the pitch and the players."
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