1
Royal Antwerp striker, George Ilenikhena, has set his sights on becoming a Premier League player in five years, and preferably, a Manchester United one.
The 17 year old has enjoyed a great breakthrough season and according to a recent interview with Belgian paper Het Laatste Nieuws, he would love a future move to Old Trafford.
The youngster has scored five goals in 18 league appearances and has made his Champions League bow, scoring an extra-time winner against Barcelona in December.
The player, who is currently valued at £6m, grew up watching Manchester United in the Champions League and dreams of wearing the Red Devils badge.
“I used to watch a lot of matches in the Champions League, I saw how players like Cristiano Ronaldo scored goals”.
Referring to his first goal in the competition versus Barcelona he said, “Now I was there myself. That first moment after my goal… I couldn’t believe it”.
The young Nigerian went on to elaborate on his love for Ronaldo by stating, “he is the best footballer of all time. He inspires others and is also a good person off the field. I watch his videos all the time. So, it should come as no surprise that Manchester United are my favourite club, right? Cristiano played there, didn’t he? But I also really like Mbappé or Haaland”.
The youngster also spoke of his love for not just the Red Devils but the Premier League as a whole.
“Where do I want to be in five years? I hope for the Premier League. That competition really appeals to me. You never know which team will win, almost every match is exciting. It’s fun to watch. The way of playing football, the fans, the experience, the atmosphere”.
The Red Devils are certainly in need of attacking reinforcements.
It is difficult to remember a United side who were so anaemic in front of goal and the Mancunian side have only managed 24 goals in 21 league matches this season.
Whilst reinforcements are sorely needed in the attacking department, it is unlikely that the club would consider the Nigerian right now due to the club’s need for a ready-made goal scorer to help Rasmus Hojlund share the goal scoring load.
United have been linked to numerous names such as Serhou Guirassy and even more adventurously Karim Benzema of late. However, according to recent reports, both players seem unlikely to land at Old Trafford. Therefore, no move for any striker has come to pass as we enter the final two weeks of the January window.
Moreover, the fact that Anthony Martial has been made to train away from the group due to his ongoing fitness issues suggest that the side typically won’t be able to rely on the Frenchman in the second half of the season.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
