Former Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes has recently lifted the lid on his emotional move away from Old Trafford earlier this year and revealed that star midfielder Bruno Fernandes helped him settle in to life in Portugal.
Gomes, 20, first joined United’s youth academy in 2006 and after featuring heavily for the club’s youth sides, the youngster went on to make his senior first-team debut during the 2016-17 season.
Despite being considered as one of the club’s most talented youth prospects, Gomes struggled for regular game-time after making his debut three-years ago.
Gomes’ lack of playing time were the driving force behind his decision to turn down a contract offer and instead opt to depart for Ligue 1 Lille.
After joining up with Lille earlier this year, Gomes was immediately loaned out to Portuguese side Boavista in the hope the 20-year-old can continue his development.
Since joining the Liga NOS side on a season-long loan, Gomes appears to have reignited his once stalling career after already being directly involved in seven goals from his first five appearances.
Speaking in a recent interview with Independent, Gomes has lifted the lid on his emotional move away from United and confirmed that Fernandes was instrumental in the youngster settling in to life in Portugal.
“I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t quite understand how emotional it would be,” Gomes admitted.“Saying goodbye to the friends I’ve known since the very start; all the staff; the security at the gate. I love everyone there and it was all I’d ever known. I don’t think it had quite sunk in, leaving everything behind.
“Football is like a rollercoaster and I went through a lot of highs.
“I had the right people around me and I stayed grounded, but when you hit a few lows it starts to build up on you. It can be hard to show your emotions and you’ve got to just keep giving your all in training [even though you’re not playing].
“But when you go home, deep down you know you’re not quite the same as normal. I’m usually very bubbly and your family notice those little changes in you. I wanted to get back to where I was and find happiness in my football.”
Gomes also went onto reveal how former team-mate and current star Fernandes helped him settle in off the pitch in Portugal after the youngster confirmed that the 26-year-old helped arrange “apartments to visit, getting a car, and where to go for food.”
