The headlines have been dominated by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez this summer. Then Sir Alex Ferguson pulled the biggest suprise of the close season with the acquisition of aging Scouser, and former England international Michael Owen. But work behind the scenes has largely focused on recruiting the next generation of United stars, with Charlton Athletic’s Sean McGinty (15), Girondins de Bordeaux’ Gabriel Obertan (20) and Empoli’s Alberto Massacci (16) joining the club.
McGinty, a centre-half, has been capped at under-17 level by Ireland, with United reportedly reacheing an agreement for a compensation package with Charlton for the youngster. The 15 year-old was apparently offered a scholarship at The Valley, but rejected it in favour of a switch to Old Trafford. He is likely to move North with entire family.
Right-back Massacci is unlikely to cost United much, if anything, as an under-18 international transfer. The player himself broke the news of the impending transfer to United by claiming that Ferguson had personally called him to offer him a deal.
“When they called me, I really couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I didn’t believe that it was really him (Ferguson) on the phone.”
“I had an hour-long chat with him, in English. He seemed to me a modest, simple, incredible person. In life a chance like this only comes past you once, and you’ve got to grab it with both hands,” he added.
Winger Obertan, who has been capped eight times at under-21 level by France, will join from Laurent Blanc managed French champions Bordeaux. The player has appeared 77 times for Bordeaux, scoring four goals, although the vast majority of those games have come from the bench. The player spent the second half of last season on-loan at Lorient and can operate on the left-wing or up-front. He also scored against England under-21s in a friendly at the City Ground in March 2009.
“There is a very strong likelihood that the deal will go ahead,” said Bordeaux President Jean-Louis Triaud.
“Manchester United want to sign him and, for our part, we would be delighted to see Gabriel playing for such a prestigious club. We will make the official announcement when the time is right.”
Arsenal, Inter and AC Milan are all believed to have been interested in Obertan, but United moved first and has reportedly had a deal in place for several weeks.
The summer recruitment continues a policy that has seen the acquisition of Rafael and Fabio da Silva, Rodrigo Possebon, Federico Macheda, Davide Petrucci, Joshua King, Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Etzaz Hussain from overseas in recent seasons.
While the policy reflects the global nature of the football transfer market, it is also symptomatic of an outdated Football Association rule that bars United from signing youth players more than 90 minutes drive away. McGinty’s transfer goes ahead because the club has agreed a compensation package with Charlton.
But the rule will continue to encourage United, as well as other top clubs, to look abroad for the best talent or risk falling behind. And with transfer fees currently stratospheric, who can blame the club for seeking to hoover up the world’s leading youth talent?
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