The Manchester United swoop that left Plymouth Argyle empty-handed | OneFootball

Andy Kellett had a big decision to make in January 2015, with the Pilgrims the ones to miss out

There can’t be many times that Plymouth Argyle have been gazumped by Manchester United in a race for a player’s signature.

Aside from the Wayne Rooney link of the modern day, there have been very few times the two clubs will have even been mentioned in the same sentence in recent history, with the Greens still yet to reach the top flight throughout their existence.

But back in 2015, the League Two Pilgrims had just enjoyed the services of Andy Kellett on loan from Bolton Wanderers and were keen to make him theirs for the remainder of the season.

All seemed to be said and done on that front, until the Red Devils swooped in to lure him to Old Trafford, in one of the strangest transfers that even took the player by surprise.

Andy Kellett catches the eye in initial Plymouth Argyle loan spell

Kellett initially joined Argyle from the Trotters on a one-month loan deal back in October 2014, with the Pilgrims finally starting to look up rather than down in League Two, following years of financial uncertainty.

Comfortable playing anywhere down the left side, the wide man immediately got to grips with his new surroundings, and became a player John Sheridan would rely on during his time at the club, which was extended to three months after some promising displays.

Any Argyle fan worth their salt will remember his goal at Sixfields during that time, as he single-handedly ripped the Northampton Town defence apart before nestling the ball in the bottom corner.

Picking the ball up on the left-hand side, the wide man wasted no time in scything his way past the Cobblers’ backline, as he squirmed his way past a couple of hapless defenders, cut inside two more, and prodded home with a nonchalance rarely seen in a green shirt during those tough days in the southwest.

Understandably, John Sheridan was keen to get a deal sorted until the end of the season for the young talent, but there would have been very few that would have foreseen the events that were to follow in January, as a whirlwind 24 hours changed the player’s career forever.

Andy Kellett’s shock Manchester United move leaves Plymouth Argyle in the lurch

Despite heading back to Bolton during January, Argyle were keen to get another deal done for Kellett for the remainder of the campaign, and must have thought they were all set for a reunion as the days ticked down in the window.

According to reports, a deal was set to be complete hours before the deadline, only for United to come out of nowhere to lure the player to Old Trafford, which would have been a no-brainer for a local lad.

Speaking to the Daily Star about the scenario, Kellett said: "The deal at Plymouth had all been agreed," he said. "So I went to the training ground on Deadline Day, quite late on actually. I went in and the manager said there's an option for you to go to Man United on loan if you want.

"So that's how it came about. I was going down to the training ground to sign for Plymouth and I ended up coming away signing for Man Utd! At first I was quite shocked by it.

"But then further on in the night I got quite emotional because it was quite a big thing. I can't really remember my initial reaction, I just think I was in a bit of shock really.

"The six months before I was at Plymouth, which I really enjoyed, but they didn't have the kind of facilities that United had. So it was a massive, massive shock in terms of that."

While he may have turned down the opportunity to play regular League Two football with the Pilgrims, few would have done any differently in Kellett’s situation, with the opportunity to rub shoulders with the good and great of the game too good to turn down.

Argyle were the only ones left ruing the situation, with the Greens missing that extra bit of quality for the remainder of the campaign, as they limped into the play-offs, before being despatched by Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-finals.

As for Kellett, once his time at Old Trafford was up, spells at Wigan Athletic, Chesterfield and Notts County followed, before dropping into non-league with the likes of Guiseley and Bury.

Despite his career trailing off before reaching 30, he will always have the memory of being a Manchester United player for a brief period, leaving him with no regrets of turning down a return to Home Park ten years ago.

Kellett added: "There is one question I ask myself. At the time Plymouth were in the play-offs, and they got to a play-off final that season (Argyle actually lost in the semi-final to Wycombe Wanderers).

"Could I have gone down that route, maybe? If we'd had gone up that year, we would have been League One. But, I don't think going from playing first-team to United's under-23s - I don't think that would have done me any harm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."