Manchester United are monitoring the impressive rise of Spanish youngster Gabri Veiga, reports AS.
The Red Devils are said to be paying attention to Veiga after a breakout campaign for Celta Vigo.
Arsenal and Newcastle are also claimed to be showing an interest in the promising 20-year-old.
Here’s the lowdown on the playmaker, who could emerge as a summer transfer target for United.
Gabri Veiga’s club record so far
Gabri Veiga made his La Liga debut early in the 2020/21 season at just 18. He played 114 minutes of football that season and just 108 minutes last season.
This campaign he has stepped up as a regular, playing 1,290 minutes of league action to date, with 15 starts and seven substitute appearances.
Veiga has scored eight goals and provided three assists, with his best performance coming at the weekend in a 3-0 win over Real Valladolid in which he scored twice and provided one assist.
His goals so far include strikes against Atletico Madrid and Manchester United’s upcoming Europa League opponents Real Betis.
Gabri Veiga international record
Gabri Veiga has been capped once by Spain at under-21 level. A first senior international cap for Spain may not be too far away if he continues his current form.
At present, Veiga’s eight goals makes him the fourth highest scoring Spanish player in La Liga.
Gabri Veiga best position
Veiga is an attacking midfielder who could become an alternative to Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United.
Similarly to Christian Eriksen, he is also capable of playing a deeper role, which could see him utilised at United alongside Fernandes rather than simply as a back-up.
All eight of Veiga’s goals for Celta Vigo have come from open play, and he has the fifth highest number of shots on target in La Liga this season, per FBRef.
Gabri Veiga: What they say
Celta B coach Claudio Giráldez spoke to AS about how the work Veiga has put in has helped him reach the next level this season.
“He is a player with a lot of personality, with a belief in himself and in his technique, to do astonishingdamage in the last third.
“Before it was more difficult for him to defend and run back, now he is a more complete player. He’s been able to put in repeated efforts and now he’s a total player.”
Giráldez went on to add: “He had a great development in the youth stage, he became very powerful and very strong. That has helped the type of football that he does, to be the ‘box to box’ that they say in England.
“All this has a wild value, because a midfielder with these numbers and this incidence in the rival area is pure gold.”
Veiga rise also coincided with the appointment of former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal.
Carvalhal was quoted by Tribal Football: “In my career I’ve only seen one or two players who have the characteristics of Veiga.
“He is a very complete player. He has a different profile to all the other midfielders in Spain, who are usually about touch and possession. Gabri breaks games open.”
Gabri Veiga price tag
AS report Celta Vigo may be ready to cash in on Veiga for £26 million (30m Euros). This would be a club record fee, above the £18.5 million they sold Stanislas Lobotka to Napoli for in 2020.
It is a figure which makes Veiga tempting for Manchester United to take a gamble on. If he succeeds at Old Trafford, he could end up being worth double that figure within a couple of seasons.
Gabri Veiga player profile
- Full name: Gabriel Veiga Novas
- Age: 20
- Height: 1.85 m (6 ft)
- Nationality: Spanish
- Date of birth: 27 May 2002
- Place of birth: Parma, Italy
- Position: Porrino, Spain
- Club: Celt Vigo
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