Bellingham was subject to interest from several top clubs before penning a long-term contract with Dortmund in 2020. United were among the curious parties, but were unable to offer assurances about playing time. The English midfielder became a regular at Dortmund, who paid £25m ($30m) for his services, almost immediately.

Robson, a Man United stalwart throughout the 1980s, attempted to convince Bellingham to sign for the club in 2020. The 16-year-old met with United legends and Ferguson in 2020 at Carrington, but spurned the club's interest.

The former Red Devils midfielder admitted he thought Bellingham would sign for the club: "It was really disappointing. We were at Carrington and Sir Alex Ferguson was there a little earlier than I was, but Eric and I met him, and his mum and dad, and we were chatting away. “It was really looking promising that he was going to be signing for Manchester United... me and Eric did a rubbish job as he signed for Borussia! We thought we had him in the bag!”