Manchester United have reportedly secured the signing of wonderkid Cristian Orozco and his youth coaches have spoken on the upcoming move.
Manchester United’s midfield problems have been a talking point long before Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford last year.
Since Michael Carrick hung up his boots in 2018, United have struggled to find stability in the middle of the pitch. Big names like Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Casemiro have all shown flashes of quality but none managed to deliver consistent performances.
The club are preparing to move for a first-choice midfielder next summer, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton both high on their radar. But alongside established targets, United are also continuing their strategy of investing in young prospects.
In recent years, they have looked beyond Europe, bringing in raw talents such as Sekou Kone and Diego Leon for small fees with the intention of developing them at Carrington. That approach has now produced their latest capture.
Various reports have claimed that United have struck a deal for Columbia youth international Cristian Orozco. The 17-year-old will not be able to complete his move until after his 18th birthday on July 13, meaning he is expected to arrive at Old Trafford next summer.
Orozco’s youth coaches breaks silence on United move
Orozco is an unknown prospect to the majority of United fans and he will be eager to make an impact when he eventually moves to England next year.
The teenager spent time at Rojo FC and was coached by Campo Elías Santacruz in the youth setup, and the 40-year-old has explained how the youngster managed to impress.
“With his character and playing style, he established himself in the U15 and U17 teams. Despite being so young, he always showed leadership in practice,” he said, as per Sport Witness.
“He trained hard and, on and off the field, acted like a young man with experience. His teammates helped him grow, and today we can say he’s a great human being.”
He is not the only coach to sing Orozco’s praises, with former Colombia defender Álvaro Escobar also mentioning the new United midfielder’s leadership as a standout attribute.
Escobar coached Orozco at youth level for the national team and has also stated that he was ‘very happy’ when he found out about the move to Old Trafford.
“He has a positive leadership style that has allowed him to be captain of the Colombian national team,” added Escobar.
“He expresses himself well and is receptive. He doesn’t get upset when corrected. It’s a pleasure to coach him. I was very happy when I found out he could go to Manchester United.”
United must bring through more youth talents
United are bringing in more youth talents to mix with their already-excellent group at Carrington and it is one of the most exciting aspects about the club right now.
The Under-21s and Under-18s have both had perfect starts to their respective league campaigns this term and there are plenty of brilliant talents in both groups.
While United will undoubtably still make big-money signings in upcoming transfer windows, there also needs to be a lot more youth involvement in the first-team squad.
There is no need to spent £40 million on a squad player when you can bring through someone through the Academy. That could then allow you to focus spending on the crucial positions in the squad.
There are only a couple of Academy graduates in the current first-team squad and that number should go up in the coming years when you look at the talent on display at Carrington.
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