Any young player coming out from an academy or even seemingly set for a decent future as a footballer inevitably gets tagged as the next great someone. It is now time to dub a player the next Paul Scholes, rather than calling him the next Messi or Ronaldo. Lewis Cook from Leeds United, an 18 year old has been given that tag and funnily enough, Manchester United are one of Leeds’ biggest rivals, so it might not be the best tag for him to carry about.
If being dubbed after a player from your rival team is not bad enough, it gets worse for Lewis as it seems that Manchester United are in the running to sign the 18-year-old midfielder and are willing to stump up a huge offer to get his signature. United do need to strengthen their midfield as Carrick is getting older and apart from Herrera they do not really have much of a presence in midfield. We look at just who Lewis Cook is and what he can do for the Red Devils.
A proper midfielder with a lot of potential
Cook has been part of the Leeds team from the start and is a group of players who have come through the Leeds ranks which include other highly rated players Sam Byram, Charlie Taylor and Alex Mowatt. Cook can play in central midfield and although his preferred position is that of defensive midfielder he can play as an attacking midfielder as well or can occupy either side of the wings, if that is needed by the team.
The 18 year old has been exceptional in a young Leeds team and has helped them climb up to relative safety in the Championship as they are 14th in the 24 team table. Though Leeds would love to have a return in the Premier League it might be hard for them to make it to the playoffs and for that reason, Cook and co could be looking at greener pastures to continue their growth in football.
The midfielder is known to be a tough tackler though he isn’t the biggest in the park, but his lack of physical presence is made up by his tenacity to get stuck in and can pass the ball around as well though he only has a 75% pass completion rate this season. Cook also has a bit of a shot in him and can shoot from long distances.
He is an England U18 international and has been on the radar for other clubs too. If Manchester United do pull this deal off, they could actually have found their Paul Scholes replacement, after all these years.
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