Forgotten United talent seals move to third-tier club just two years after his abrupt Old Trafford exit – report

Former Manchester United starlet Marc Jurado has completed a move to third-tier Spanish side FC Cartagena.

Jurado’s time at United

Jurado joined United in 2020 from Barcelona as part of the club’s push to secure the signings of the biggest and best talents in Spanish football.

He arrived at the club at the same time as Alvaro Fernandez, who has just signed for Real Madrid, and Alejandro Garnacho.

Jurado was a regular in the United youth teams, lining up for the Under-18s and Under-21s. He made 31 Under-18 Premier League appearances and 34 in Premier League 2 during his three-year stint at Old Trafford.

The 21-year-old was instrumental for the Under-18s as they won the FA Youth Cup. He captained the team twice during that incredible run to the final.

Despite his progress in the youth ranks, Erik ten Hag seemingly didn’t think Jurado was ready to make the jump to first-team football. He left United in 2023 and returned to his native Spain, joining Espanyol.

Jurado signs for FC Cartagena

Jurado started out in Espanyol’s B team, before making his bow for the senior side just two months later. However, he was unable to build on this and from there, he found minutes at that level hard to come by.

He made just one appearance for the Espanyol first team before they offloaded him.

Cartagena have now confirmed the signing of Jurado, revealing that he has signed a two-year contract with the club.

Jurado will certainly be hoping to find far better fortunes at Cartagena than he did at United and Espanyol.

Some of his peers, like Garnacho and Fernandez, have moved on to bigger stages, and he’ll be hoping Cartagena can provide the platform he needs to finally take his career to the next level.

Meanwhile, United are back in action in the early hours of Thursday morning when they take on Bournemouth in the second game of their Premier League Summer Series.

Derick Kinoti

Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!