Manchester United have not ruled out their chances of making further additions in the January window and are targeting a swoop for AS Monaco defender, Benoit Badiashile. The 16-year-old has been monitored by both the Manchester clubs for quite some time now and United had previously expressed interest in him.
The young Frenchman is said to have impressed United’s scouts with his performances for the national team at the U16 level in the Val-de-Marne tournament last season. Badiashile is a product of the Monaco academy and has appeared 5 times in the UEFA Youth League this season.
The teenager is yet to sign a professional contract with the reigning Ligue 1 champions and the United management are prepared to offer him one. It is yet to be seen whether the Frenchman has made up his mind to make a move to England at such an early stage or continue his development at the Stade Louis II.
The French champions oversaw a mass exodus of players including star footballers like Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko. They are a shadow of their former self which earned them the Ligue 1 title last season and are already suffering from a horrific display in the Champions League. Losing out on the Europa League might just be costing the club financially as they are ready to offload a few talents.
However, Monaco will only be privy to a nominal compensation fee for Badiashile if he does choose to make an exit to Old Trafford. The entire legacy left behind by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United is centred around promoting youngsters and developing them into stars. Even when the club has seen three different personas take the managerial seat, they have not neglected the ideology.
United’s academy players played twice as many minutes than any other Premier League side including Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur, who registered just 21,668 minutes in the league.
The club has not shied away from big money transfers either judging by the recent arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal which is costing the club £350,000 per week. Ed Woodward has complied with all of Jose Mourinho’s request in order to resurrect the club to title-winning status.
They might not be able to win the league this season but are still contending and are well poised to take on Sevilla in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Maybe someday Badiashile will be able to emulate the superstar status of his compatriot, Paul Pogba, in a United jersey.
