It appears Manchester United’s long history with American players is set to continue with a new face for the 2018-2019 campaign.
According to ESPN and other reports, 16-year-old American midfielder Will Vint has joined Manchester United’s academy, and is set to feature for the Under-18s in the upcoming season. After coming through the ranks for Real Colorado, Vint reportedly impressed Man United scouts on a trial, after failed trials at Fulham and Everton.
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It’s unclear whether Vint has an EU passport, which would help facilitate his move before 18, but it does appear that he could be taking advantage of his father living in England. Vint’s father Peter, a data analytics and sports statistics maven has formerly worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee and Everton as their academy director. The elder Vint re-tweeted this earlier this month, essentially confirming the news.
While one player is joining Man United, another could leave. Right back Matthew Olosunde joined two years ago at the age of 18 but has been stuck in the pecking order, leaving him angling for a move back to MLS, where he formerly played within the New York Red Bulls academy.
It’s still too early to know how Vint will pan out. Man United’s academy, along with the others for the big English clubs, has recently failed to produce many stars, instead farming out their homegrown talent to other teams on loan before selling the players. With multi-million dollar transfer buys on Man United, it’s difficult to break into the first team, which makes Marcus Rashford‘s journey all the more impressive.
Here’s to keeping an eye on Vint and seeing where he is in two-to-three years.
