Why Man United have struck gold with a move for starlet Mateo Mejia

According to the Daily Mail, Man United have completed the signing of Spanish starlet Mateo Mejia from Real Zaragoza for a fee of £130,000, with the highly-rated prospect set to be a part of the club’s U-18 side.

United have successfully negotiated a deal with Zaragoza to officially acquire the services of the starlet, thus eliminating the possibility of UEFA intervening in Mejia’s move to Old Trafford.

The 16-year-old was well within his rights to try his luck elsewhere, given that he never put pen to paper on professional terms at Zaragoza, and he initially joined United back in June without there being any sort of negotiations between the two clubs.

That called for a UEFA tribunal to decide the transfer fee but United have acted in time to avoid any further complications, with Mateo Mejia following in the footsteps of Hannibal Mejri and Noam Emeran to become the latest talent to officially join the Red Devils.

As per the report, Mateo Mejia had been the subject of interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid earlier in the summer after the highly-rated teenager racked up as many as 60 goals for Zaragoza across various age groups last season.

However, in a twist of fate, the Spanish outfit has been forced to part ways with their academy talent for as little as £130,000, having turned down a £431,000 bid from the Los Blancos. (h/t Daily Mail)

A right-sided player with a devastating eye for goal, Mateo Mejia has illustrated a level of maturity that belies his tender years in terms of finding the net on a regular basis. The Spaniard is set to join the Red Devils at the U-18 level and has already earned rave reviews for his vast potential.

To put things into perspective, Man United have grabbed the headlines several times with their youth recruitment drive since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskajer at the helm of affairs and a deal for Mateo Mejia is yet another indication of the fact that the Red Devils are keen to supplement their youth sides with some top-quality young talent.

Mejia is still very much in his formative years and while there are hardly any guarantees over how his development at Old Trafford would pan out in the years to follow, Man United could have a gem on their hands in the future if the 16-year-old goes on to fulfil his potential.

Academy graduates like James Garner, Mason Greenwood, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Brandon Williams have already benefitted from Solskajer’s willingness to blood youngsters in the senior ranks and Mejia is also likely to get his chance to impress in the future if he continues his development down the right path.

Verdict

In alignment with Solskjaer’s vision, United have put a lot of emphasis on polishing burgeoning young talents in their youth system and the acquisition of Mejia might reap rich rewards moving forward.

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Real Madrid’s previous interest in the 16-year-old’s services coupled with his eye-watering feat of bagging 60 goals for Zaragoza’s youth sides last season, is indicative of some serious potential and the Spanish prodigy could well be a future star in the making.

All in all, United’s decision to wrap up a deal for the starlet is just another reflection of the amount of progress that the club is making behind the scenes despite their ongoing struggles in the Premier League.