Man Utd's answer to Saka: Amorim must promote "explosive" teenager

Manchester United were not one of the most active clubs in the January transfer window, but they did bring a couple of players in.

One of those was young Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, who signed for an undisclosed compensation fee, with his contract at the Gunners set to expire at the end of the season anyway.

The other addition was wing-back Patrick Dorgu. The Denmark international made the move to Old Trafford from Lecce, costing £25m up front and a further £4.1m in add-ons. He made his debut against Leicester City in the FA Cup, surprisingly starting at right wing-back.

That is clearly an area of the pitch the Red Devils are looking to strengthen, given their interest in Sporting’s Geovany Quenda.

Why Man United want to sign Geovany Quenda

The 13-time Premier League champions were strongly linked with Ruben Amorim’s former player Quenda at the end of the January transfer window. Highly reputable journalist David Ornstein revealed that United are looking to sign the Sporting CP star next summer for £33.3m.

The talented youngster is clearly a player that Amorim rates highly. He played 18 times under the United manager at Sporting, becoming a prominent player for Leoes at the start of the season.

Indeed, it seems like he would be signed to play as a wing-back should he make the move to Old Trafford. Quenda featured at right wing-back under Amorim in Portugal and has made the majority of his 36 appearances for Sporting in that role.

The 17-year-old was described as a “highly unpredictable” player by football analyst Ben Mattinson. and that was certainly on show at the weekend for Sporting when he registered a fantastic assist charging down the left-hand side, darting past defenders and pulling the ball back for Ivan Fresneda to score from.

Man United’s in-house Quenda solution

As good as Quenda would be for United at wing-back, there is an up-and-coming player in the academy, who could be the perfect alternative to signing the young Portuguese star.

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Indeed, United’s dream Quenda alternative could well be youngster Bendito Mantato. The England U17 international has been making waves in the Red Devils academy over the past few seasons,

In fact, in a separate post, Mattinson compared the two, explaining that they are of “a similar profile” to each other. He described Mantato as an “explosive” player, which Quenda certainly could be seen as, especially in the above video.

This season, Mantato has been exceptional for the Red Devils in the U18s Premier League. The 17-year-old has played nine games so far and has six goals in that time, including two goals against Sunderland in a 4-3 win.

However, that is not even the most goals the youngster has managed in a single game. Last season against Blackburn Rovers in the U18s Premier League he scored four goals in a 5-2 win. The fourth he scored perfectly showcased the “explosive” nature Mattinson referenced.

The analyst has also likened Mantato to Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka. The 23-year-old has been sensational since breaking into the Gunners’ first team. He has 250 games under his belt now, with 67 goals and 63 assists,

Initially, the Arsenal number seven played at left-back but has since transitioned to become a right-winger. Well, for United, Mantato plays as a right-winger, but for England, slots in at left-back. Not only is this similar to Saka, but also shows incredible versatility and maturity to have the know-how to play such different roles.

This would also work well for Amorim, who might look to mesh both roles together and unleash Mantato at wing-back, similar to the way he brought Quenda through. Saka has also played as a wing-back during his Arsenal career, yet more similarities between the pair.

Perhaps the signing of Quenda would be pointless with Mantato waiting in the wings. If he really did become United’s own Saka, the Red Devils would have a serious player on their hand. Perhaps he could become the long-term wing-back at Old Trafford along with Dorgu.

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