This is what he said last week.
''I'm hoping it leads to a transfer offer," said Adu, who's in Florida this week training with the U.S. Under-20 national team. "If I go in January I wouldn't be able to play [in England] until my 18th birthday [on June 2, 2007]. Those are the rules. But hopefully this leads to an offer in January or in the summer transfer window next year. That would be awesome."
Adu told me that Sir Alex's comments had raised his expectations for the trip. "I hope I can show flashes of the kind of player I can become," said Adu, a left-footer who played most of the season on the right side of D.C. United's midfield. "I know I've got a ways to go. This would really be a test for me so I can gauge where I am by training with these guys. At D.C. United I haven't gotten much time at my natural position, which is attacking midfield. Hopefully that's the position I'll play when I'm training over there."
While D.C. United officials have expressed their support while downplaying Adu's visit to Man United as merely training and not a trial, Adu clearly has different ideas. When asked if his proper development requires him to be in Europe, Adu didn't mince words.
"Yes, I think so," he said. "MLS has been awesome. I've enjoyed my time with D.C. United and I've really grown as a professional, but to see a huge change in my abilities I need to go to Europe. That's where all the best players in the world play ... I would love to go to Europe as soon as possible. Then again, I have a contract to honor with MLS, so we'd have to work that out."
MLS officials have said publicly that they support Adu's sojourn to Manchester and consider him one of the top prospects in U.S. history, but privately some are bewildered by talk of a move in the near-term to Man U. "How does Freddy justify that he's not good enough to play for D.C. United full-time and now he wants to play for Manchester United?" asked one MLS exec. (me: huh? he started every game but one or two, do mls execs even watch the game? or are they stuck on two years ago?)
Adu's response: "Am I good enough to play right now for Manchester United? I don't know. That's what I'm going to find out."
If Man United or another European club were to purchase his contract, Adu says, it's possible he could follow a similar loan path. "One of the big clubs could sign me and loan me to a Dutch or French or Belgian club for a season or two and then I could come back," Adu says. "I want to be in a situation where I'm playing, and I want to learn faster, because I don't respond too well to being brought along slowly."
Adu remains frustrated over being pulled by D.C. United coach Peter Nowak in the 65th minute of United's season-ending 1-0 loss to New England in the MLS Eastern Conference final. Adu was enjoying his best game in weeks and was one of D.C.'s top attacking threats. After his removal he was clearly distraught on the sideline.
"I wasn't happy being out of the game, but what are you going to do?" Adu says. "You try to find out why. You've just got to respect what your coaches do. It was a horrible feeling that I hope I never have again."
If Adu sounds like an eager (perhaps over-eager) teenager, well, that's because he is. But you can't deny his enthusiasm over his upcoming trip. "To go to one of the world's biggest clubs and get a chance to train is an honor and a privilege," he says. "Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of my favorite players, and getting the chance to train with them would be unbelievable."
"Even if I play well, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll sign me," Adu says. "This is a chance for me to see what English football is all about and see what it takes to get to that level. We'll see what happens ... I'm not happy with the way things ended this season, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side, so you've got to be careful.