Manchester United missed out on the signing of Ethan Ampadu when he was just 12 years old despite Sir Alex Ferguson describing him as a 'proper United player'.

Ampadu is one of Chelsea's brightest prospects and, despite having just turned 17, has already made four appearances for Wales at senior level.

Usually deployed as a centre back but also capable of excelling as a defensive midfielder if required, Ampadu joined Chelsea from Exeter in 2017.

Chelsea starlet Ethan Ampadu attracted interest from Manchester United when he was 12

Ampadu, pictured with United legend Ryan Giggs, has represented his country four times

ETHAN AMPADU'S CAREER STATS Exeter - 2016-17: League Two - Eight appearances FA Cup - One appearance League Cup - Two appearances EFL Trophy - Two appearances Total - 13 appearances Chelsea - 2017-18: Premier League - One appearance FA Cup - Three appearances League Cup - Three appearances Total - Seven appearances Overall total - 20 appearances Advertisement

However, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, the starlet could have become a United player instead.

Ferguson noticed Ampadu's ability when the youngster played in a tournament for Exeter's U13 team at United.

Having recognised Ampadu's immense potential, Ferguson was eager for a deal to be done but it failed to materialise, as United were in the process of making the transition from Ferguson and David Gill to David Moyes and Ed Woodward.

United could certainly end up ruing missing out on Ampadu, who was impressive for Wales in their victory over the Republic of Ireland recently and also featured in the defeat to Denmark.

Ampadu has so far made seven competitive appearances for the Chelsea first-team, all of which came last season.