Man Utd youngster Angel Gomes has moved to address a video which has emerged on social media of him visiting a Nigerian prophet in a bid to cure his injuries.
Gomes is a rising star at Old Trafford and is reportedly on the verge of signing a new £25,000-per-week contract.
Despite only making 10 appearances in his United career thus far, staff at the club hold high hopes for Gomes’ future.
However the video may have raised a few question marks, as a younger Gomes attended T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations in Nigeria for the service.
In the video, the United star says: “My name is Angel Gomes, I’m from Manchester. I’m sixteen.
“I play for Manchester United Football Club. And I’ve been struggling really with injuries.
“I’ve been having injuries around my hip and groin which have been affecting me playing. I also suffered an ankle injury not long ago which kept me out for a long time.
“These injuries would come at hard times for me, times when I was having a breakthrough or times when I had to go to a tournament or playing games, these injuries would happen quite frequently.
“I play for Man United, I also represent the England national team under-17 level as captain. I’ve known about the Synagogue Church of Nations for a long time.
“As my family follows the prophet, my parents are big fans. So we thought it would be a good time for me to come and be touched by the prophet.”
Such a process is uncommon in professional football, with clubs always keen to use their own medical teams and trusted practitioners.
But Gomes has now set the record straight, and insisted the video is nothing out of the ordinary for people from his religion.
He said: “Regarding the video that has come out from 2016. I am from a Christian family and at the time my mum was a fan of the pastor, and she really wanted me to go. I was going through some issues.
“From the outside looking in it looks crazy, but I was just practising my faith. I didn’t really need to explain myself but a lot of people were asking me what the video was about.
“I was young at the time and if my parents thought something was best for me I would do it. There are far more important issues out there in the world we can tackle.”
regarding the video that has come out from 2016. I am from a Christian family at the time my mum was a fan of the pastor, and she really wanted me to go. I was going through some issues. From the outside looking in it looks crazy, but I was just practicing my faith.
— Santi Gomes (@agomes_47) June 16, 2020