Middlesbrough were reportedly interested in signing youngster Marcus Edwards from Spurs this summer, but opted for other targets as the 20-year-old eventually joined Portuguese side Victoria.

Edwards had been on the books of Spurs since the age of six, and ended his 14 year stay in North London due to the club wanting to cash-in on him rather than losing him on a free next summer.

The attacking midfielder has represented England at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 level, making 49 appearances overall and scoring 15 times.

At just 17, his manager at Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino, told the world that Edwards reminded him of none other than Lionel Messi. However, he failed to live up to the expectations, and having made just one appearance for Spurs he joined Portuguese side Vitoria on the European deadline day.

But according to reports, Boro were interested in signing the youngster. Jonathan Woodgate and Robbie Keane’s links to Tottenham made a move much easier, and the pair were supposedly keen to use their contacts within the club to get a deal done. The Athletic say Boro monitored Edwards for some time, making a move to sign him before withdrawing late on.

It seems Woodgate stuck to his word about ensuring the club signed the ‘right type’ of player, and not just bringing in anyone to pump up the numbers. However, you get the sense that Edwards would have thrived at Boro had he signed, and could easily have grown into one of their most valuable assets.

Nevertheless, after having proposed moves to Brentford and Udinese called off, the attacking midfielder eventually moved to Vitoria, who will play Spurs’ fierce rivals Arsenal in the Europa League this season.

Opportunity missed by Middlesbrough?