Manchester United have reportedly joined the fight for Austrian wonderkid Oghenetejiri Adejenughure, who is being dubbed the “next Erling Haaland.”
United famously came close to acquiring the towering Norwegian, with then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen on signing him before he instead joined Manchester City.
And according to The Daily Star, the Red Devils are determined not to let another super-talented youngster from the Austrian leagues slip through their fingers.
The newspaper claims that United have sent scouts to watch the 18-year-old in action for Liefering, who are mid-table in the Austrian second-flight.
Liefering are the partner club of Red Bull Salzburg, the club where Haaland made his breakthrough, and they doubtless see Adejenughure as one to watch on their production line of talent.
The teenager has two goals and one assist in 18 league matches, but it is his goalscoring antics at youth level that really catch the eye.
Adejenughure scored 19 in 22 games for Red Bull Salzburg’s U18s, and 15 in 30 for their U16s.
He has also been prolific for the Austrian national youth teams, including an impressive four goals in four games during the U17 European Championships.
His form has led to former United interim boss Ralf Rangnick inviting him to train with some of the senior Austrian squad – while fans know all too well that Rangnick is not perfect, his eye for spotting talent is not up for debate.
Moving for Adejenughure fits with United’s recent recruitment drive for young players acquired cheaply with high potential, which has brought Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven in from Arsenal.
That said, the club won’t have it all their way with competition for the Austrian set to be fierce.
The Daily Star report that AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund are amongst a host of top clubs keeping tabs on the youngster, who they note “has been hailed as the next Erling Haaland.”
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child, he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
