How differently would his career have progressed if the now-35-year-old midfielder had sealed a shock move to Manchester United just over a decade ago? A 35-year-old midfielder who, after missing out on the chance to play under Sir Alex Ferguson in his ifnal season at Old Trafford, would eventually swap CSKA Moscow for Krasnodar while spending the entirety of his career in his Russian homeland? The story of Pavel Mamaev is one of those ‘sliding doors’ tales. And while the 15-time Russia international would still carve out a very respectable career for himself – 51 goals in over 400 appearances…
