History could have been very different if Owen Farrell had committed himself to football during his time with a huge Premier League club.
When Farrell was 13, his father Andy was offered a tour of United’s facilities and a meeting with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
It served as a sign of how much United wanted to sign Farrell.
However, Andy, a successful rugby player himself, joined Saracens with his family moving with him, before any contract offer could be drawn up.
Manchester United’s current first-team goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis told the Telegraph: “Owen was terrific.
“You could just tell from within a few minutes of meeting him that he carried himself really well.
“I remember him looking me straight in the eye and giving a firm handshake. He fitted into our culture really, really well.
“You don’t know if he would have made it because he was only with us a few months. But we absolutely would have liked him to stay.
“You can always tell when you meet a top-class sportsman, they have that air about him and he did.”
Farrell was recommended to United by Jonathan Hill, the head of PE at John Fisher School in Wigan.
Hill went on to become head coach at United’s academy and coached young stars such as Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Danny Welbeck.
He said: “I know what elite football looks like.
“I remember seeing Owen go in goal and he was loving it – playing for fun, passing the ball out, kicking it, dribbling, diving out at people’s feet – so I called Richard Hartis at United.
Owen Farrell facts:
The Saracens star went to school with England teammate George Ford
His education began in rugby league – he joined Wigan St Patricks at the age of eight
He became the youngest ever player to appear in English professional rugby, making his debut aged 17 and 11 days. This record was later beaten by schoolmate Ford
It’s well known that Owen is the son of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. However, it’s less commonly know that his uncle Sean O’Loughlin is also a rugby league legend, winning 34 caps for Great Britain between 1993 and 2009
He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.
Manchester United’s current first-team goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis told the Telegraph: “Owen was terrific.
“You could just tell from within a few minutes of meeting him that he carried himself really well.
“I remember him looking me straight in the eye and giving a firm handshake. He fitted into our culture really, really well.
“You don’t know if he would have made it because he was only with us a few months. But we absolutely would have liked him to stay.
“You can always tell when you meet a top-class sportsman, they have that air about him and he did.”
Farrell was recommended to United by Jonathan Hill, the head of PE at John Fisher School in Wigan.
Hill went on to become head coach at United’s academy and coached young stars such as Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Danny Welbeck.
He said: “I know what elite football looks like.
“I remember seeing Owen go in goal and he was loving it – playing for fun, passing the ball out, kicking it, dribbling, diving out at people’s feet – so I called Richard Hartis at United.
Hartis added: “We gave him a six-week trial – it wasn’t a case of him pushing to come.
“The family were really supportive, Andy was great, an absolute gentleman, and he was really open-minded. He wanted to give his lad a chance to try something different, I think to specialise too young is unhelpful.
“Owen came in and coped with the demands of the elite environment really well.
“Technically, he was raw but those attributes you would look for in a top-class performer – of being a winner, of being a leader, of taking information on board quickly – were all there.
“And he was able to adapt to the rules, and to the technical stuff, very quickly.
“When his dad went to Saracens, we just ripped that form up. But if Andy hadn’t moved, who knows what might have been?”
An incredible XI of rugby players who played for professional football academie
More rugby stars than you think almost had a career in football, including the current England Captain Owen Farrell. Check out who else makes our stunning XI.
GOALKEEPER:
Owen Farrell (Manchester United): The England captain trained with the Manchester United youth team as a goalkeeper. Modestly, he insists he would never have made the grade and that his passion was always rugby league. But Farrell’s trial was cut short when his family moved south – and he left both sports behind for rugby union.
CENTRE-BACKS:
Ben & Tom Curry (Manchester City): It is true that they had a trial at Manchester City, who the twins support, but that was scuppered by Tom scoring an own goal. Probably for the best in the end.
Toby Flood (Newcastle United): After two years at the club he was released by academy director John Carver in the 90s. They were reunited almost 15 years later when Flood was playing at St James park with the Falcons and Carver was manager of the toon army.
