In news that will have come as a huge boost to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Man United, it’s being reported that the Red Devils are close to a triple swoop of highly-rated 16-year-olds.
Birmingham City’s Jude Bellingham is expected to go straight into the United first team once a £30m move has been rubber-stamped, according to the Daily Star.
The outlet also note that Sunderland’s Joe Hugill and Marc Jurado from Barcelona should follow suit, though the expectation is that both will be placed in United’s academy and tasked with making their mark through the more usual route of ‘age group’ football.
The Evening Standard report that Jurado will cost £1.5m, and being able to prise him from the Catalans is being seen as a real coup.
Clearly, being front and centre as far as these transfers are concerned, show that United still have enough cachet and history to help encourage European football’s best youngsters to join the Red Devils.
That will surely be music to the ears of the powers that be at Old Trafford.