Meet the former Manchester United trialist who was man of the match against Real Madrid
It is unlikely Marcus Rashford recognised the face staring up at him. The defender was prone as he vainly shuffled his body across the saturated Old Trafford turf to try and block the inevitable shot with his head.
Rashford's fierce goalbound strike just eluded the Real Betis defender. Scott McTominay did not blink, either, when he had a penalty-box shot that led to Wout Weghorst's goal in the second half.
McTominay and Rashford trained with Luiz Felipe when they were teenagers at Carrington. For Felipe, playing at Old Trafford last week was an accomplishment eight-and-a-half years in the making.
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The Brazil-born Italy international had a trial with the United academy in the summer of 2014, shortly after Louis van Gaal had strolled into the Manchester United manager's office.
Felipe, 17 at the time, rubbed shoulders with Robin van Persie on his return from a post-World Cup break and spent a fortnight at United, having already gained work experience at PSV Eindhoven.
Paul McGuinness, the United academy coach at the time, complimented Felipe on his attributes and felt he had competed well in the sessions. Dean Henderson and Axel Tuanzebe were in the same youth team as Rashford and McTominay that lined up for their pre-season portraits that summer.
Rafael da Silva, a compatriot, helped Felipe settle in Manchester before he moved across the city to City. Sources say Felipe felt "more important" at City, where Fernandinho took him under his wing during a two-month spell.
Felipe was mentored by Patrick Vieira, then the reserve team coach. Vieira was also impressed by Felipe but advised him to forge a career in Italy, where defending is practiced religiously.
Felipe
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