South America scouting, rough diamonds, high reward

South America scouting, rough diamonds, high reward - Manchester United's transfer strategy

Man Utd have broadened their academy recruitment following Ineos' investment in the club in 2024.

Brexit rules mean Manchester United's academy recruitment is limited to the United Kingdom. English clubs cannot sign talented teenagers from Europe under the age of 18.

That means United must wait until a player from Europe celebrates their 18th birthday to act on their interest. However, players are usually tied down and more difficult to sign by that stage of their career.

United still operate in the European market when opportunities arise and were proactive in wrapping up the signing of Enzo Kana-Biyik on a free transfer from Le Havre this summer.

Since Ineos invested in the club, there has been increased activity in markets outside of Europe. Sekou Kone was signed from Mali in 2024, Diego Leon arrived from Paraguay this summer and United have struck a preliminary agreement to sign Colombian teenager Cristian Orozco.

The defensive midfielder plays for Fortaleza CEIF, has captained Colombia's Under-17 team and helped his nation reach the final of the U17 South American Championship in the spring.

United have identified Orozco as an exciting young talent with potential to progress to the first-team. However, Orozco will not be able to complete a move to Old Trafford until he turns 18 next year, so he will continue to play for Fortaleza CEIF until the transfer can be finalised in July.

The same approach was taken with Leon. In January, United agreed a £3.3million fee, rising to £7m with add-ons, to sign Leon and he continued to play in Paraguay until relocating to Manchester this summer.

Kone was signed for around £1m from Mali club Guidars FC. He was first scouted by United in November 2023 at the Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia. Multiple staff members watched Kone throughout that tournament as Mali beat Argentina to claim a third-place finish.

Having followed Kone at the U17 World Cup, another United scout attended an Under-18 tournament in Morocco in April 2024 where Kone featured as one of the players of the tournament. It's understood the recommendation to sign Kone came after this tournament.

The likelihood is that Orozco was tracked by United at the U17 South American Championship. Scouts were impressed by Kone's displays for Mali and Orozco has shown great potential with Colombia.

Orozco will arrive in Manchester with a similar profile to Kone: young, raw and possessing huge potential. These kinds of transfers are essentially low risk and high reward for United.

The best-case scenario is that a signing breaks into the first team and establishes himself in the Premier League. The worst-case scenario is that he is below first-team standard but is still sold for a profit.

United are planning for the future and trying to explore markets further afield more often. Other Premier League clubs have made more use of non-European markets and have landed some gems.

Brighton have been the standard-setting team in the league for recruitment for some time now, and the Seagulls' data-driven approach has unearthed some wonderfully gifted players.

United wanted to sign Moises Caicedo in December 2020, but the £5.5m asking price was too steep. Brighton agreed a deal and sold Caicedo to Chelsea just two-and-a-half years later for £115m.

Ineos' decision-makers will be praised if Kone, Leon or Orozco can develop their games like Caicedo did. The only downside is they need time and patience to grow, which is something rarely afforded at United.

Jason Wilcox is hugely influential behind the scenes and different sources have indicated he was already doing the director of football job before he was officially given the title.

In February, United appointed Christopher Vivell as director of recruitment on a full-time basis following his interim spell in the role and he became a regular attendee of academy games.

The role of Matt Hargreaves as director of football negotiations should also be noted. Hargreaves has a large responsibility for transfers and contracts at Old Trafford, and is known to be an excellent operator.

Representatives have spoken glowingly about Hargreaves and have praised his understanding of players, the football business and negotiations, so he is seen as a valuable member of staff.

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