Manchester United may have stuttered in their bids to bring in new first team players so far this summer, but in terms of the academy, the Old Trafford club is seeking to improve things significantly, but it might not be an easy grab for the Premier League strugglers.
United’s head of academy recruitment Luke Fedorenko and director of academy Nick Cox are seeking to attract the best young players in the United Kingdom to the Old Trafford club in a bid to make the future much better for the club.
United had, in the past decade, took their eyes of he academy which has meant the club has not been as good nurturing the talents of the best young players, putting them on track to reach the first team much like the Busby Babes of Fergie’s Fledglings.
The Athletic has reported that the Old Trafford club is interested in two English players aged just 16 in a bid to rejuvenate the club’s academy. Fulham’s Seth Ridgeon and Manchester City’s Tyrese Noubissie are the two wonder-kids linked to the Theatre of Dreams.
Ridgeon, 16 who has Sri Lankan heritage is a right footed central midfielder currently playing for Fulham, seeking his chance to make it at the top level of English football. The 16-year-old has already played for Fulham’s U21 side and is captain of England U17s.
Fulham would like to retain the services of the talented teenager and will fight to keep him but United will also have to keep an eye on City, Chelsea and Liverpool who are also interested in recruiting the player this summer. United will need to be good at convincing the player.
Noubissie, 16 also has French heritage and plays U16 football for France, is a left footed central midfielder currently playing for City. However, the teenager has faced limited chances in breaking through the ranks at the club, which will be hard with the number of top quality players..
The 16-year-old can play in the number six position or the number eight position, which would be a good thing for United, who will be looking for players who can be nurtured in different positions, which will help their development as the seek to reach the senior level of the game.
The teenager signed for City from Leicester City in a £1 million deal two years ago, which seems to have been a bad decision considering the report from The Athletic. Both RB Leipzig and Strasbourg are trying to convince the player to leave England this summer.
United would be hard pressed to get both deals done, especially with the interest from other clubs, which gives United limited time to get the deals done – and we know how long it takes United to get deals done being as the Bryan Mbeumo deal has rattled on over a month now.
United invited both players for a tour of Old Trafford and the clubs training ground in Carrington and are ‘thought to be leading the race’, especially in the case of Ridgeon, who has been tabled an ‘impressive proposal’ according to the report.
Only time will tell what happens this summer but the academy have already welcomed the likes of left-back Diego León, 18 and centre-forward Enzo Kana-Biyik, 18 so far this summer with the club seeking to nurture young talent in a bid to better the club in the coming years.
Written by Paul
Discover more from Daily Man Utd News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.