According to the latest reports from Mirror, Manchester City are interested in making a January move for Rochdale’s young sensation Luke Matheson. The right-back turned 17 this month, and he shot to fame when he scored the equaliser in the Carabao Cup tie against Manchester United. The Red Devils went on to prevail on penalties on the night, but Matheson won a lot of plaudits for his performances.
Derby rivals set to fight for Matheson
Along with the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester United are also said to be in the mix to sign this young gun. Matheson has represented England at the u-17 level, and he became Rochdale’s youngest ever player when he made his first senior appearance at the age of 15.
The youngster is said to be rated at £10m, and that’s quite a fee for a 17-year-old who has only played in the League One so far. However, with two top Premier League clubs already interested in him, that is a testament to the talent he possesses. Moreover, he has shown in the tie against Manchester United that he isn’t overawed by a big occasion.
What can Matheson offer?
Matheson is a modern-day attack-minded fullback, and he scored the goal against United in the Carabao Cup because he had kept on bombarding forward. He has impressive on-the-ball qualities as well and is comfortable with the ball at his feet. We don’t see him making an impact in the senior team for Manchester City just yet, and he will most likely be seen as an option for the future.
The Citizens are loaded with some special talents, and we have seen quite a few players finding it hard to break into their lineup. We think that Matheson might prefer to move to a club where he will have a much easier path to play first-team football as that is the best way to develop the youngsters; as nothing beats a real match time experience.
What should Guardiola do?
As mentioned, we think that £10m is a hefty sum for him. Matheson is still not a regular for Rochdale in their senior side, and City should probably wait a bit before coughing up that kind of fee for him in January. He still needs to develop on the physical side as well as tactically.
Manchester City are likely to be on the lookout for first-team defensive options in January given their crisis at the back. Matheson has great potential, but City should wait to see him more.
