Manchester United have been named as one of Dayot Upamecano, 19-year-old RB Leipzig centre-back’s dream destinations. He was quoted saying, “As a youngster, you dream of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, but to get there, you have to work. I’m very proud of myself, very happy. I have to keep going in the same direction. I have to aim higher. My preference for the moment is Leipzig. Afterwards, we’ll see.”
This obviously has sparked a conversation about the possibility of trade falling through in the summer. United themselves are looking to bolster their defensive ranks and the teenager could be a prime addition for the future.
Upamecano hails from youth academy of Valenciennes FC and was later signed up by RB Salzburg. Even then, United had expressed interest in the Frenchman along with a host of European sides.
Upamecano made his professional debut on 31 July 2015 for Red Bull’s farm team, FC Liefering and made only 23 appearances for the Austrian outfit. He was later sold off to Leipzig for £8.7m (€10m) on a four-and-a-half year contract with a release clause ten times his transfer value.
The 19-year-old has impressed this season for the Bundesliga outfit with 36 appearances across all competitions. He was especially eye-catching against Bayern Munich in the 2-1 win on 18th March.
Upamecano has earned 33 international caps for the France youth sides and is coming off for the senior team as well. With Laurent Koscielny undergoing a horrific season in the Premier League, who knows, maybe the teenager will be called up to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well.
Standing at 6 feet 1 inch tall, he is as physically robust as he is intelligent. His composure and game reading ability are way beyond his teenage years and is already proven against Europe’s top-flight. He is remarkably quick for a centre-back as well, quite similar to Manchester United’s Eric Bailly.
Mourinho has already expressed his intentions in offloading Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the next summer window. The duo has failed to meet expectations of the fans at Old Trafford and the Portuguese boss himself.
Smalling was at the back another defensive mistake last weekend against Manchester City in the 2-3 derby. He did manage to redeem himself by scoring the winning goal but the inconsistencies at the back need to be addressed ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
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However, splashing £87m for a prodigy might be too much of a gamble for any team, even if United are capable of producing the cash.
