Manchester United are investing their resources in evaluating the talents of Wilson Tilve who plays for Atletico Colombia de Cartegena in the number 10 role. The 16-year-old has travelled to London and has undergone a trial to showcase his talents. The result of the trial has not been revealed just yet but reports are coming in hot about the teenager’s unique abilities with the ball. Tilve has been dubbed to be the next James Rodriguez due to his similar playing style and for hailing from the same nation of Columbia.
After facing heavy criticism for not promoting youngsters, Jose Mourinho has seemed to have taken a closer look at the club’s academy structure. The Red Devils successfully bolstered the youth ranks by signing Aliou Traore from Paris Saint-Germain, Di’Shon Bernard from Chelsea and Arnau Puigmal from Espanyol last summer. With Nicky Butt heading the U18 United side, the club is currently at the top of the youth league and will be greatly benefitted by the arrival of Tilve.
The left-footed midfielder is a technically adept presence behind the strike force and possesses an awareness around the pitch to find his teammates in threatening positions. He will be at home alongside the likes of Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong, who just got promoted to the U23 side. Mourinho is already seen to be providing another academy product, Scott McTominay with an opportunity to display his talents for the senior team.
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 in the 2016/17 campaign 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 £600,000 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 Tilve will be able to emulate the superstar status of his compatriot, Rodriguez in the grand European stage.
