Manchester United are reported to be close to signing young goalkeeper Elyh Harrison.
Harrison, 16, is in the academy at League Two side Stevenage and has trained with their first team squad.
Talksport’s Alex Crook first reported Manchester United’s agreement, which is yet to be confirmed by either club, however, the player himself dropped a strong hint the move is going ahead.
Harrison shared an Instagram story post from a Manchester United fan account last night, suggesting the reported transfer is indeed going ahead.
Where Harrison would fit in
Harrison would go into Manchester United’s under-18s squad for next season. United have recently released young goalkeeper Daniel Polakowski, who will take up a scholarship in the USA.
Under-18s goalkeeper Radek Vitek will step up more regularly to the under-23s next season, with Tom Wooster, Eric Hanbury taking over, with competition from new addition Elyh Harrison.
No, it’s not a Ten Hag signing
There is a little clarification required here due to misleading media reports, typically getting carried away by Manchester United signing a young player.
‘Erik ten Hag makes first Man Utd transfer‘, The Sun reported, while ‘Manchester United ‘agree’ first transfer for Erik ten Hag ahead of busy summer, claim The Express.
But these junior level academy deals are nothing to do with Erik ten Hag, not yet. It’s misleading to suggest Harrison is a Ten Hag signing, especially when the manager has not even started his role.
It’s similar to how United signed Guillermo Varela in 2013, around the time David Moyes was appointed, even though technically this deal fell under his watch, or how United signed teenager Noam Emeran in January 2019 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was interim boss. But this was not a Solskjaer signing.
The club’s academy recruitment operates in it’s own sphere, and has been consistently strong for a while now, with Toby Collyer recently signed from Brighton.
It’s unlikely United will have asked Ten Hag to sign off on this low-level deal, with the Dutchman busy directing Ajax’s title charge.
Elyh Harrison is one to watch, and a player who may yet play under Erik ten Hag one day. But let’s leave the adulation for his transfer policies on the incoming first team players who he does actually sign off on.