Manchester United have recently been linked with 16-year-old striking prodigy Kevin Filling, and the young star has been asked about the speculation around his future.
Over the past month, United have been in outstanding form, with Rúben Amorim’s senior team scoring eight goals across three matches and securing victories against Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton.
While the first team’s resurgence has thrilled supporters, the club’s Academy has been enjoying an equally impressive spell of success.
Darren Fletcher’s U18s currently sit second in the U18 Premier League, and the U21s top the PL2 table after winning all seven of their opening fixtures.
A number of young talents – including 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, Chido Obi and Shea Lacey – continue to catch the eye, with reports suggesting that Amorim is closely monitoring the progress of United’s rising stars at Carrington.
Filling breaks silence on United transfer rumours
United are looking to improve their youth ranks internally while also bringing in talent from abroad and 16-year-old Kevin Filling appears to be the next signing being considered.
The youngster is already playing first-team football for Swedish outfit Allsvenskan which has led to several clubs around Europe watching him closely.
Some reports have claimed that United are trying to work on an agreement for Filling to join the club when he turns 18 but other outlets have suggested that a deal is not advanced.
The teenager was recently asked about the speculation involving United and he told Fotboll Direkt: “It’s nothing special. I don’t know much. I’m focused on AIK and that’s where all my focus lies. So, I’ll just continue there.”
“No,” he added when asked if he’s thinking about his future. “I don’t know anything, so no, I’m not thinking about it that much.
“[My goal is] to take a starting place in the team and do as well as I can in every match and every chance I get. I want to continue and deliver more points.”
Why United youth situation is slightly concerning
One of the strangest things at United right now is the academy. The Under-18s and Under-21s are performing well and the club clearly want to bring more young talent in.
But in the first-team, Kobbie Mainoo is the only academy graduate who is a regular in the squad and Ruben Amorim has only handed him one start this term, which was in the Carabao Cup.
It is slightly concerning that United do not have any talent from the academy in the team right now and fans will be hoping that this changes over time.
Amorim was well-known for bringing through youth at Sporting and he provided opportunities for some young players last year but we need to keep seeing more that going forward.
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