Manchester United academy product James Weir has backed Angel Gomes following the youngster's departure from the club.

Gomes' contract saga finally ended earlier this month when United announced he would not be signing an extension and would be free to leave.

The 19-year-old joined United at the age of six and made his first-team debut under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a big fan of Gomes and wanted the playmaker to sign an extension with the hope of him breaking into the first-team.

But after the arrival of Bruno Fernandes and return of Paul Pogba from injury, Gomes saw the writing on the wall and knew his first-team opportunities would be limited.

Weir was faced with the exact same dilemma after making his debut in 2016, coincidentally because of Pogba's lucrative arrival from Juventus, and decided to leave Old Trafford for Hull City.

Gomes could have had the option to stay and gain experience on loan, but Weir, who now plays with Pohronie in Slovakia, thinks the England U21 international might be better off with a fresh start.

"If you're not getting on the bench, if you're not getting minutes, you know yourself you can't wait forever," Weir told Tribalfootball about Gomes' decision to leave the Red Devils.

"You can go out on loan a couple of times but sometimes you get lost in that system, you kind of end up not being a player of any club, you just get chucked around from club to club.

"So I think it is better to go and sign somewhere for a couple of years and try a new path, and then if you do well there then bounce back up to a club like United or a similar level."

It is unclear where Gomes will land now that he is a free agent, however, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has ruled out luring him to Stamford Bridge.

Moving abroad might be an option, with Turkish outlet Fotomac claiming Besiktas have an interest in Gomes.

To read our exclusive interview with Weir about his journey from United to Slovakia, click here.