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Man City signing this skilled £10m teenager from under Man City’s nose would be a massive statement of intent

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Why Man United must go all out to sign Luke Matheson in January

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in Rochdale’s teenage sensation, Luke Matheson.

Luke Matheson, who turned 17 this month, made Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sit up and take notice when he scored against his team in their Carabao Cup clash at Old Trafford last month.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is also believed to be a fan of the teenager, and now Rochdale are braced for January scramble for the defender, who could cost around £10m, adds the report.

That being said, Manchester United must beat their cross-town rivals Manchester City to the signing of Matheson in January.

United replaced Antonio Valencia with the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace in the summer.

Wan-Bissaka, who signed for £50m over the summer, has been possibly United’s most consistent performer since the start of the season. For a 21-year-old who only made his senior debut two years ago, his understanding of the game is sensational.

Beyond Wan-Bissaka, the Red Devils have Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot as options at right-back. While Young is in the twilight of his career, Dalot has been in and out of the team due to injuries since joining from FC Porto last summer.

Solskjaer needs a player to regularly compete with Wan-Bissaka for the right-back position and while he has academy kid Brandon Williams waiting to make an impression in the Premier League after his excellent performance against Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League, the Red Devils just cannot let a talent like Luke Matheson slip away from their hands.

Matheson, who made his league debut at just 15, is attracting a stream of interest from across the Premier League. The England Under-18 defender would go on to be awarded man of the match during the 2-1 victory against Bury and his stock has grown ever since.

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The teenager earned fame when he thundered home a volley to help Rochdale level the tie with Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.

Despite a spirited performance for the League One side, Solskjaer’s side prevailed 5-3 in the penalty shootout. And the overall performance alone was enough to convince that Matheson has the potential to play at the highest level.

Verdict

Most players can only dream of scoring at Old Trafford. Matheson has done that already at the age of just 16. Solskjaer has shown at United that he is willing to put his faith in the next generation. While City are also said to be tracking his progress, Old Trafford perhaps will be the 17-year-old’s ideal destination.