Manchester United have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Colombian teenager Cristian Orozco, who is a well-revered defensive midfield talent.
Manchester United’s midfield has been a topic of debate long before Rúben Amorim arrived at the club.
Many argue that, since Michael Carrick retired in 2018, the club have not had a stable midfield, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, and Casemiro all failing to stay consistent despite obvious talent and experience.
Although United are out to sign a new first-choice midfielder next summer, with the likes of Carlos Baleba from Brighton and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton both on their wishlist, United are also looking to solve the problem by buying young, raw talents.
Over the last year or so, United have ventured outside of Europe to sign talented youngsters like Sekou Kone and Diego Leon for low fees, before developing the players themselves, and have now secured their next young star ahead of next summer.
United agree deal to sign Orozco
According to Ben Jacobs, United have reached an agreement to sign Colombian youth international Cristian Orozco.
The 17-year-old currently plays for Fortaleza FC, having joined the team from Rojo FC last summer, and is highly regarded across South American scouting networks as a promising prospect.
The Manchester World then further add that both Fortaleza and Rojo FC will benefit financially from the deal that will take Orozco to Old Trafford next year.
As Orozco is 17, he cannot yet make his move to United, but is expected to do so in the summer, with his birthday being on 13 July.
What you need to know about Orozco
A big reason why so many appreciate Orozco’s talents is that the player is the captain of Colombia at the U17s level. He’s played nine fixtures for the U17s and worn the armband on each occasion.
He was a shining light during the South American U17 Championships earlier in 2025, captaining his country to the final before losing to Brazil on penalties.
Orozco is known as a tenacious defensive midfielder who, as well as being very strong in defensive duels, is very good at receiving the ball, opening up his body, and progressing play onward.
His style is not too dissimilar to Kobbie Mainoo, albeit he is a much less polished product than the 20-year-old England international.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.