Attacker Gabriele Biancheri has scored on his debut for Manchester United Under-18s just four days after officially signing for the club.
The 16-year-old was unveiled as a Reds player on Tuesday, enrolling into a scholarship after arriving from Cardiff City once Fifa paperwork had been finalised. The plan is to hand the teenager a professional contract when he turns 17 in September.
He got his United stay off in the perfect fashion, netting on his debut outing in a 3-3 draw away at Leeds. Biancheri, who was named on the bench, came on in the second half to put his side 3-1 up with five minutes to go.
READ MORE: United have the blueprint to beat Liverpool
After seeing a first shot rebound back to him, the forward beat his marker on the outside before firing the ball in from a very narrow angle eight yards out to stamp his mark. James Nolan and Ethan Williams were United’s first-half scorers.
However, the team would concede two goals in the 88th and 92nd minute to let two points slip to miss the chance to close in on the top two in the Under-18s Premier League North.
United sit third in the table, four points off second-place Sunderland and 11 points behind holders and leaders Manchester City, albeit have played two games fewer than their arch rivals.
Biancheri had attracted a lot of interest before his capture by United, having already trained with Wales under-21s. He celebrated his arrival at Carrington on social media and also sent a message to former club Cardiff, thanking them for their nurturing and guidance.
He wrote: "After more than nine years, my time with Cardiff has come to an end. I’d like to thank all of my coaches for helping me become the player and person I am today and to all my teammates. I’ll forever be thankful for the opportunity I’ve had at this club."
Biancheri - born in 2006 - said in a later tweet: "I'm a Red" with a photo of him in a United jersey.
READ NEXT:
