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This is an interesting one. According to a report in The Guardian, Manchester United are preparing a £25m bid for Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon. The highly-rated 17 year-old has been on the radar of several top-flight clubs for some time, and it appears United are prepared to enter the fray. United are in need of a proper left-back, and after maybe buying a dud (or at least an unprofessional and unserious player) the last time they signed a coveted teenage English left-back, they will hope Sessegnon works out better than Luke Shaw did.
Sessegnon, 17, who finished as joint-top scorer at the European Under-19 Championship in June with three goals, has been tracked by United’s scouts for some time and has also attracted interest from Tottenham and Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho is prepared to let Shaw leave to make room for Sessegnon’s arrival. The youngster is a legitimate goal threat, even from the full-back position, and is also capable of operating in attack.
Despite usually operating as a left-back, Sessegnon is also capable of operating further up the field and has gained a reputation as one of English football’s brightest attacking talents. He became the became the first 17-year-old to score a hat-trick in the top four divisions of English football since Dele Alli when he inspired Fulham’s 5-4 victory over Sheffield United in November.
Sessegnon fits the profile of the kind of left-sided player Mourinho has indicated that he wants: capable of operating as a full-back and wing-back, and hopefully able to follow tactical instructions and not balloon in weight.
In other unsuitable full-back news, Matteo Darmian is reportedly of interest to Napoli. The two clubs are said to be “ready to begin talks,” although Antonio Valencia’s recent injury may put a damper on those talks until the summer. Hopefully a deal can be agreed with Napoli before they change their minds, because Darmian is a poor excuse for a footballer with no business at a club of Manchester United’s ambitions.