Manchester United are going full steam ahead in the transfer window but as is tradition at the club, the heartbeat of the team remains its youth academy.
Erik ten Hag has carried on that tradition with full respect and consistency, giving youngsters their debut and handling their progression expertly.
The result has been headlined by the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, both players who have saved United millions in the market while valued at north of £100 million now themselves.
United have identified the next one to follow in their footsteps and they are going all-in on that talent’s development.
Marked as the next big thing
The Mirror reports that United have identified the teenage academy talent to nurture for the first-team next and thus, have promoted him to the first team full-time.
That talent is the exciting 18-year-old prodigy Jack Kingdon, who recently got another big endorsement by the club in the form of a contract extension.
Kingdon signed his first professional terms with United after impressing for the U18s last season in their league title-winning campaign.
As a 6’1″ center-back with remarkable pace and athleticism, United clearly see him as suited to Ten Hag’s demands from a defender. He will follow Willy Kambwala as the next defender to make the jump to the first team.
Just like Mainoo and Garnacho, pre-season figures to be crucial for Kingdon, who will get the chance to impress and stake his claim alongside senior teammates as United play multiple games.
Calculated and brilliant move
It’s a brilliantly calculated move by United as it has repercussions far beyond just telling Kingdon that the club trusts him for the future.
With Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof’s future under a cloud, United need center-back reinforcements. They are progressing quickly on Matthijs de Ligt’s transfer, while an improved bid for Jarrad Branthwaite has been sent.
As Raphael Varane has already departed, their options in defence by the end of the window might end up being extremely thin. As such, they could be looking to rely on academy talents to round up the numbers while supplementing from world-class talent in the market.
It also gives them a leg up in negotiations. If they can convince the world that Kingdon is genuinely first-team quality, they can feel much more comfortable moving away from the Branthwaite deal if finances get too crazy.
Therefore, this is another great move in a summer where not many of United’s moves have missed their mark. Will it age well? That’s up to Jack Kingdon. Youth players at United can’t be disappointed with the lack of opportunities at the very least.
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