Every now and again, a big club may have a young star in their youth team, but, for some reason, they end up slipping through their grasp.

Take Paul Pogba and Manchester United for example. They had him in their youth team, but it took a world record fee to bring the Frenchman back home via Juventus.

AC Milan had a similar issue with now in-demand striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in 2011.

The Gabonese striker had failed to break through at the San Siro after three years with the club and didn't make a single appearance in Serie A.

Today, Aubameyang would be the star of the show for the Rossoneri, but things were a little different back then.

Real Madrid have been constantly linked to the now-Borussia Dortmund forward and he has gone on to become one of the leading marksmen in Europe.

So how did Milan miss his talent? Well, they didn't, per se.

“We had spotted his talent, we knew he was very strong," CEO Adriano Galliani told Il Corriere dello Sport. "He could play as winger or support striker. He was always available and willing to learn from his teammates. He was the best player of that youth squad alongside [Man Utd defender] Darmian.”

“We could imagine he would have become a complete striker. He scored seven goals in five games in the Youth Champions League but that AC Milan senior squad was very strong and we had amazing strikers like Kaka, Pato, Inzaghi and Gilardino.”

Fair enough. At that time, nobody would have suggested that a young and untested forward should oust at least three of those players.

But if they knew the player he would become, they should have given him the platform to grow. And, recouping just £1.8 million doesn't sound like they knew his worth.