It was a transfer like no other at the time.

Manchester United once signed a nine-year-old footballer off the back of seeing his compilation video - but what has happened to the player now?

Nowadays, the Internet is flooded with stories of young academy prospects who are tipped to become the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, while any spectacular moment at amateur levels will quickly go viral.

Back in 2007, though, things were slightly different. YouTube had only been founded two years earlier in the United States, while you might struggle to find many people who knew what Twitter was. The closest you got to TikTok was waiting another two years for Kesha to release her hit song.

The best way to get a top club to notice you was either by chance - an encounter at a local game, for instance - or by sending a DVD directly to the club in the hope that they would see it.

While some managers might not always get back to young players, there are plenty of stories of Sir Alex Ferguson doing exactly the opposite.

An 18-year-old, newly released by Macclesfield, once delivered his own compilation DVD directly to Ferguson's home address in Wilmslow - with the United boss promising to watch it.

The Scot did just that, and subsequently invited the player for a trial.

In the case of Davis, his grandad sent over a DVD of the nine-year-old playing football in Brisbane, Australia, where his family was living at the time.

United scouts watched the videos, invited him to participate in several training sessions and then offered him a contract.

Davis would play in the same age group as Marcus Rashford, telling The Athletic in 2023 that the future United and England star was 'the standout and always has been'.

The midfielder continued to work his way up through the youth ranks, but then suffered a broken leg when he was 14 years old.

Davis described the injury as a 'turning point' as far as United's subsequent decision not to give him a scholarship contract at 15, but also added: "It was all up in the air, and what is to say I would get one? I probably wasn't going to. But it didn't help the process and it didn't help me going on to look elsewhere."

After working his way back to full fitness, Davis decided to focus on his education and went to university, where he studied business and economics in Sheffield.

Although he now works full-time in finance, the midfielder - who is now 26 - has remained in football, and is still based in Lancashire.

After a spell with Altrincham, Davis has most recently been playing his club football for Manchester-based West Didsbury & Chorlton, who play in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

The club has been home to a number of high-profile players over recent years, including current Bolton winger Carlos Mendes Gomes and Gibraltar international Jack Sargeant.

Last week, he signed for divisional rivals Cheadle Town, who finished a position above the midfielder's former club last season.

Twitter

On his current life, Davis told The Athletic: "Things didn't turn out how I wished for at United, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

"People still make tongue-in-cheek comments [about the YouTube video] in passing, but nothing like they used to!

"One kid used to call me wonderkid... it is all fun and games."

Roy Keane has revealed every detail from his brutal 10-minute meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson which ended his Manchester United career.

Keane enjoyed a legendary spell at Man United under Ferguson, but his time at the club came to an abrupt end in 2005.

He left by mutual consent after giving an explosive interview on MUTV, where he ripped into his own teammates.

The outburst was deemed too damning by Man United as Ferguson and David Gill called an emergency meeting, where they terminated his contract.

The exchange between Keane, Ferguson and Gill lasted a mere 10 minutes, leaving the former Man United captain's solicitor stunned.

The Irishman has insisted that he feels blameless for his bitter departure as he underlined his disgust at Ferguson and Gill.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast - brought you by Sky Bet, he said: "I get my anger is obviously a long time ago but the worst anger you can have is the justified anger where you feel - again I feel - I hadn't done anything wrong.

"I was 34, I had a broken foot, and my contract was coming up, it was an easy fix for [Manchester] United to go, 'Your days are numbered, alright, cheers, thanks a lot' - and I've seen players leave but I could have left in the summer.

"My solicitor, my client, who did all my deals, the most relaxed, placid man you’d ever meet, I’ve seen him negotiate - a very good man and knew a good deal - but he almost fell off his chair.

"Ferguson and [David] Gill went, 'We’ve come to the end and here’s a statement'. I was like, ‘'Alright' and he was like, 'What?!' I said, 'Leave it Mike', and they went out and I said, 'Yeah, I’m out of here', and he [my solicitor] couldn’t believe it - all within ten minutes."

Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson raise the Premier League trophy. Image: Getty

Keane added: "I just think if people think that little of you, I’m not going to go, 'Well you know, I’m going to see my contract out'. Believe it or not, I thought too much of the club. I could have easily gone, 'Is that what you think of me? But I’ll see out my contract, I’ll come in everyday'.

"In hindsight, [I could have said], 'We’ve come to the end, yeah, but I’ve got a contract with Manchester United just like you do with United' - you’re on about principles but when something like that is in front of me, I’m like disgusted with people, I go, 'I wouldn’t even want to see you again'.

"I was home by half nine, quarter to ten, my wife’s gone, 'What’s happened?', I went, 'It’s over'. They still hadn’t done my termination, and Mike was like, 'I can’t believe it’s happening' and then statements came out, then I found out that day I couldn’t go to another team - so I couldn’t play until January.

"If I’d have known, I would have said, 'I’ll just train with the reserves and get myself fit', so I left Manchester United having not played for two or three months with a broken foot, and I couldn’t go to anyone until January. I was in no man’s land."