He made 11 appearances for Manchester United in Louis van Gaal’s final season at the club.
In another world, had events taken a different turn, Cameron Borthwick Jackson could well have been in Russia this summer.
If a statement about Scunthorpe United’s latest loan signing seems outlandish, just look were Trent Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson where two seasons ago. Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, who both started May’s Champions League final, were respectively in the Championship with Hull and in the Liverpool reserves.
While Alexander-Arnold is now on a deferred summer break after his involvement with England at the World Cup, Borthwick-Jackson is preparing for a season in League One.
The 21-year-old was given his United debut by van Gaal in the 2015/16 season. He would go on to play 10 times in the Premier League [six starts, four sub appearances] and have one outing in Europe. Following one league draw against Chelsea, the Dutchman said:
“Borthwick-Jackson was playing fantastically and I was very proud of him. It was a superb performance.”
Jose Mourinho arrived in the summer of 2016 and Borthwick-Jackson was sent out on loan. The 21-year-old made only six appearances for Wolves and did not fare much better when, last season, he was loaned out to Leeds. He only played two times for the club, once in the Championship and once in the FA Cup.
He returned to Manchester United for pre-season and despite Mourinho shopping around for defenders, soon learned that his immediate future lay away from Old Trafford. A statement from Scunthorpe reads:
“The 21-year-old has been with the Red Devils for 15 years, joining their academy at the age of six before turning professional in 2015.
“The defender, measuring six-feet, three-inches, has also represented England Under-16’s, 17’s, 19’s and 20’s, attaining a total of 12 caps.
“Borthwick-Jackson made his senior debut for Manchester United in November 2015 when he came on for Marcus Rojo against West Bromwich Albion. He would finish the 2015-16 campaign with 10 senior league appearances, while he would also be a part of the side that won the U21 Premier League.”
By May 2016, life was going in the right direction for Borthwick-Jackson but he has found it tough since. With luck, a run of fitness and form could see his fortunes improve markedly.
