Manchester United have expressed interest in signing highly rated Swedish U18 international midfielder Oliver Mansson from IFK Göteborg, according to Sport Witness.
Mansson has emerged as one of the most exciting crops of Swedish talent making their mark across Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall, Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Love Arrhov and even AIK’s 17-year-old centre-forward Kevin Filling, who is attracting interest from Arsenal.
The midfielder has played his entire career at Göteborg, playing in all the youth ranks at the club’s academy level. After impressing with the youth teams, he made his team debut in May against 12-time Swedish champions Djurgårdens IF at 16 years 09 months, becoming the sixth-youngest debutant in the club’s history.
He has since made 19 more first-team appearances and was named among The Guardian’s list of the top 60 young talents in the world born in 2009 because of his remarkable displays for Göteborg.
At the international level, the midfielder, described as ‘special’ by his teammate Sam Larsson, is also a regular at Sweden’s youth sides, from the U15 down to the U18, where he has made three appearances.
Now, according to Sport Witness, Mansson’s performances for Göteborg have piqued the interest of several top clubs across Europe.
‘Special’ midfielder
One of the clubs now eyeing a move for the youngster is Man Utd, according to the report, which claims that the 20-time English champions have expressed interest in the exciting midfielder.
It appears the Red Devils are already stepping up efforts to sign the midfielder, with the report adding that the club’s hierarchy was present at Göteborg’s stadium last week to watch the 17-year-old in action against Djurgårdens.
However, United will face competition from Leicester City, Watford, AS Roma and SC Freiburg, who were also in Sweden to watch Mansson, while a previous report from Sport Witness revealed Arsenal’s and Chelsea’s interest in the 6ft 1in midfield ace.
While United have come under scrutiny for their performances this season, the club’s hierarchy has continued to show an unwavering commitment towards recruiting some of the best exciting prospects.
Should United beat fierce competition to sign Mansson, he would join a growing group of highly rated youngsters United have recruited in recent seasons, which includes Harley Emsden-James, Enzo Kana-Biyik, Sekou Kone, Ayden Heaven, Chido Obi, Diego Leon, Cristian Orozco, Tynan Thompson and Karim Cassim.
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