Manchester United’s immediate priority will be to turn their form around after a worrying start to the new season. Sunday’s goalless draw with Aston Villa left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League, with just eight points from their opening seven games.
But Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos team have put an emphasis on building for the future, with the club looking to sign the best youngsters in the country and reestablish themselves as contenders at the top of the division. Adam Wharton has been linked, while Barcelona star Marc Bernal has been linked.
United spent lavishly again in the summer, bringing in the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui for a combined £200 million.
Manchester United target promising duo
The next targets could be longer-term options, though. United are interested in signing Swansea duo Harlan Perry and Brogan Popham, according to the Mirror.
Meetings have reportedly been scheduled with the teenagers’ representatives, although United could face competition from rivals Manchester City. Neither Perry, 16, or Popham, 17, have turned professional yet at Swansea, but both have impressed at youth level.
The Mirror claims defender Popham has “made a strong impression upon scouts”, with Arsenal and Tottenham also said to be interested. There could be interest, too, from United's city rivals.
United and Manchester City are believed to be leading the race for Popham's signature, with City another club who have made strides in youth recruitment in recent seasons. Current Premier League stars Morgan Rogers and Jadon Sancho are two examples of players who were signed for City's academy before moving on.
Perry, meanwhile, who played in all three matches for Wales at the U17 European Championships in Cyprus, is equally highly rated. Both players would be introduced to the United youth ranks before being developed with a view to join the first team later down the line.
Swansea would be entitled to a compensation fee if they lost either player.
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United will hope to improve their youth team in the coming months and years as they look to compete with Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, which has won the Premier League 2 in three of the last four seasons.
In FourFourTwo’s view, both Perry and Popham appear to be exciting young prospects and signing both would be something of a coup for United, particularly given reported interest from City. Whether deals can be done remains to be seen, of course.
