Former Burnley Chairman, Brendan Flood has revealed that the club missed out of signing Michael Essien in 1999 due to wage issues.
Having exploded In 1999 at the U-17 FIFA World Cup in New Zealand, Essien were chased by several clubs despite Ghana's elimination after losing to Brazil on penalties in the semi-finals.
However, Essien came close of joining Burnley, who were then playing in the Third Tier in English football after trails but the club failed to secure his services due to his wages.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Flood shared in a 2009 interview with The People: "I discovered Michael Essien had been on trial here for a few days. One of the best players in the World Cup – and we hadn’t signed him.
"The club policy meant we wouldn’t pay an apprentice more than 60 quid a week. It smacked me in the face that the problem was a lack of communication within the club that stopped our youth guys from making an exception to the rule," he added.
Despite the deal failed to happened, Michael Essien went to play for Bastia, Lyon before making a big money move to Chelsea in 2005.
He went on to play for Real Madrid, AC Milan and other top European clubs.