Five youngsters ripe for a Man Utd move includes Arsenal duo and Real Madrid wonderkid
Manchester United could become the perfect destination for young talents at major clubs who are struggling to break into the first team.
Players like Ethan Nwaneri and Endrick simply aren’t playing enough, and for all of United’s issues in recent years, they would still represent an ambitious and exciting move for any prospect.
A recent report – believe it or not – claims Ruben Amorim is a big admirer of Arsenal wonderkid Nwaneri and wants to take advantage of the Gunners’ need to sell a valuable player after spending over £850million across the last five summer transfer windows.
Nwaneri is one of five young players at big clubs who could be vulnerable to a Manchester United approach – including another Hale End graduate and a Real Madrid starlet.
Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
Manchester United’s top transfer priority is signing a new central midfielder, but if a player with Nwaneri’s potential becomes available and is open to a transfer, you absolutely have to be all over it.
Right now, Nwaneri’s pathway into the Arsenal starting XI is blocked by some outstanding players. He signed a new contract earlier this year and will have been briefed on the club’s transfer plans, but there’s no doubt he would have been promised more than one start across 21 Champions League and Premier League games.
The 18-year-old has certainly taken his Carabao Cup chances, playing every minute as Arsenal knocked out Port Vale and Brighton, scoring against the latter in a 2-0 win.
But he has played only 20 minutes across Arsenal’s last eight league matches and has been an unused substitute eight times. Yes, he’s young, and yes, he has still logged significant minutes for someone his age in a team as strong as Mikel Arteta’s, but there comes a point where you wonder whether your long-term future lies in a squad containing Ebere Eze and Martin Odegaard. He’s not starting ahead of either of them if they’re fit.
Nwaneri has played most of his minutes on the right wing, but it appears one of the promises made to him was the chance to feature more centrally, with Noni Madueke’s arrival all but confirming that.
Nwaneri would fit very nicely as one of Ruben Amorim’s wide 10s, which is a hybrid between a right winger and an attacking midfielder: the two roles that best suit him. It’s almost a position made for him. We’re not sure he has the work rate or defensive instincts to play as a wing-back, and that Arjen Robben-style cut-in onto his left foot is irresistible.
United would need to cough up a significant fee to sign one of Hale End’s most exciting recent graduates, and if he does leave Arsenal, they’ve got his younger brother ready to break through, because of course they do.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
From one Hale End prodigy to another, could Lewis-Skelly boost his England chances by switching to Manchester United?
Naturally a central midfielder, the 18-year-old has played all his senior football at left-back, and he’s actually very good there. Good enough to break quickly into the England team and keep an injury-prone Riccardo Calafiori out of the XI for most of last season in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Those minutes and performances in 2024/25 are leaving people baffled by his reduced playing time this term, but they should actually be the reason everyone calms down. He’s only 19 and has already played the workload of a 21-year-old. It’s hardly a disaster that he hasn’t started as much now Calafiori is fit and flying, though the Italian’s poor outing at Aston Villa could open the door again.
Lewis-Skelly loves being at Arsenal, and a lack of minutes this season won’t change that. What could change that is genuine interest from Manchester United.
He could use his left-back experience to become a very useful midfield option in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1. He has the engine, the technical ability, and the defensive grounding, albeit from a different role and against different types of players. Left-wing-back is also viable, and there’s no doubt he would be an upgrade on Patrick Dorgu, even if the Dane is an Amorim signing and only 21 himself.
It’s a long shot, but what a signing he would be for United.
Tyrique George (Chelsea)
We move away from Arsenal but stay in London as we assess George’s chances of leaving Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford.
An out-and-out winger who can also play as a centre-forward, that versatility makes the 19-year-old an intriguing option in one of Amorim’s wide 10 roles.
Most of George’s minutes last season came in the Europa Conference League, and that pattern has continued, making four appearances in Chelsea’s six Champions League matches, including starts against Benfica and Qarabag. But as the competition progresses and Chelsea raise the stakes, it’s unlikely he’ll continue playing significant European minutes. He didn’t get off the bench in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Atalanta – Chelsea’s biggest Champions League game of the season.
He hasn’t made any of Enzo Maresca’s last six Premier League matchday squads and was almost sold to Fulham in the summer. A departure in 2026 feels inevitable.
George is less of a sure thing than Lewis-Skelly or Nwaneri, but the talent and ceiling are obvious. His ability to play across the frontline makes him valuable, and he could operate effectively on either flank under Amorim.
A January move makes less sense given United have no European football to help integrate him, but they should be back in continental action in 2026/27.
There’s no doubt Old Trafford would be a far better environment for his development than Chelsea, who literally tried to sell him a few months ago.
Josh Acheampong (Chelsea)
When Levi Colwill returns from injury, there’s a chance Acheampong becomes a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge. Again. There were discussions about selling him last summer, but Colwill’s ACL injury changed everything.
As a defender capable of playing right, left, and centre-back, Acheampong is someone who could thrive in a back three. He has wing-back potential but could easily become an elite wide centre-back in a system like Amorim’s… if it only looked slightly more functional.
The 19-year-old is highly rated at Chelsea and would likely cost a significant fee, but there’s a good chance he’d be worth every penny. Considering his potential, Chelsea would likely want at least £30million. But with the size of their squad, they may feel inclined to accept a semi-reasonable offer.
United already have a few good young centre-backs in Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Tyler Fredricson, though the latter feels more like an emergency option. Acheampong would come in as the second-best of the group behind Yoro, or debatably first, ahead of the Frenchman.
Fredricson is a promising 20-year-old who played in the latter stages of last season, which only underlines the need for more defensive depth.
Harry Maguire is out of contract at the end of the season, though reports suggest Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Amorim want to keep him longer, so there’s a strong chance United invest in a new central defender next summer. Why shouldn’t it be Acheampong?
Endrick (Real Madrid)
And why shouldn’t Manchester United throw their hat into the ring for Brazil and Real Madrid wonderkid Endrick?
It’s a transfer that makes a lot of sense. Endrick’s idol is Sir Bobby Charlton. He is struggling to break into the first team at the world’s biggest club, and there is clear interest from one of the world’s top three most iconic clubs.
Amorim has some stellar attacking options now; Mason Mount is impressing, Benjamin Sesko will return from injury, and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are settling in well, but the Portuguese head coach could still do with more attacking depth, even if signing a central midfielder is the top priority.
There is reportedly interest from Lyon, with Madrid understandably preferring a loan for the 19-year-old. But United could throw a cat among the pigeons by making a cheeky enquiry.
Endrick wants to become Brazil’s main man, and that’s impossible when he has played just 11 minutes for Real Madrid this season. He has been an unused substitute 15 times!
A loan move in January seems the most likely outcome, but of all the players mentioned here, Endrick will have the shortest patience and is surely the most fed up…by a country mile.
This would be a statement signing for United, and it’s a pretty realistic one as well.
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