Manchester United scouts are always busy watching talented players from around the world who are thought to be high-potential.
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos took over the footballing operations of Manchester United, the desire for youth investment was one thing made clear.
Ratcliffe demanded United sign the next Kylian Mbappe, in relation to buying players before they become £200m players, instead of breaking records for spending in search of the finished article.
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This has led to the purchases of Sekou Kone, Ayden Heaven, Diego Leon, and soon Cristian Orozco, all of whom cost at most a combined £6 million. In particular, Heaven is a success story, being worth more than 10x the £1.5m he cost, and becoming a bona fide first-team player.
Now, United scouts have been linked with watching another talent currently playing in the Championship.
Manchester United scouts watched Othmane Maamma performance for Watford
There was no rest for United scouts over the New Year, with January 1st seeing an assignment in London, as it was a trip to watch the Championship clash between Watford and Birmingham City.
The target of this trip for United, along with other Premier League clubs, was Othmane Maamma of Watford.
At 20 years old, the right-sided winger is a regular for the Championship outfit, and according to TeamTalk, he has now attracted interest.
United scouts were at the game to watch him, as were Liverpool and Newcastle, which is enough to paint a picture of how talented he is.
Watford paid less than £1m for Maamma in the summer, but they would probably claim a substantial profit if a deal is sanctioned in January or next summer.
But his performance in front of scouts won’t have blown them away.
Maamma struggles as Manchester United scouts watch on
Maamma will likely have been aware of the big-name clubs paying interest in him on New Year’s Day.
Yet despite this, his performance was far from his best.
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Maamma played 70 minutes in the 3-0 win over the Tom Brady-owned side, creating two chances but struggling to impact the game in other ways.
The Moroccan completed just 10 of 16 pass attempts and just one dribble despite attempting five.
Maamma also lost seven duels, which was the most in the game from any player, which is something Amorim won’t be keen on considering the effort levels he demands across the board.
There is no doubting his talent, but Maamma will have to do more to impress the decision makers at Carrington.
Maamma did win the Golden Ball award at the U20 World Cup in 2025, showing his talent, although he was a player among the oldest at the competition.
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