Why Man United would be wise to drop interest in Eduardo Camavinga

According to claims from French outlet L’Equipe, as relayed by the Daily Mail, Rennes have slapped a daunting £51million price tag on Eduardo Camavinga, who is one of the best up and coming prospects in France. 

Born in Angola, Camavinga rose through the youth system at Rennes and became the youngest ever professional for the club when he put pen to paper on his maiden professional contract at the age of 16 last year in December. 

The 17-year-old, who burst on to the scene in Ligue 1 towards the fag end of the previous campaign, has progressed by leaps and bounds over the past few months to establish himself as one of the mainstays of the club’s midfield. 

The central midfielder has shone for Rennes in the French top-flight, as well as in the Europa League, and his rapid development has put some of the continental giants on red alert, with Man United and La Liga heavyweights Barcelona currently among the front-runners for his signature in the upcoming transfer windows. (h/t Daily Mail)

Rennes, though, are prepared to play hardball in any contract negotiations involving the highly-rated teenager, who is still under contract at Roazhon Park until the summer of 2022, as evident from their asking price.

Indeed, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Ligue 1 outfit are making an arduous attempt to lure Man United and Barcelona into paying some crazy money for one of their brightest academy prospects. 

Despite Camavinga still having plenty of years left to run on his present contract, Rennes are well aware of the fact that they would be helpless to prevent the 17-year-old from leaving for a bigger club in the near future should the potential suitors come knocking on the door repeatedly. 

To that end, Rennes’ astonishing valuation of the teenager could possibly deter interest from some of the European giants. 

Putting things into perspective, Eduardo Camavinga might be one of the brightest emerging talents in the continent but Man United should be wise enough to back out of a potential swoop for the teenager after Rennes’ audacious valuation of the midfielder. 

The 17-year-old has all the raw materials and the potential to evolve into a world-class professional in the years to come. 

Also, the acquisition of an energetic midfielder like Camavinga could go a long way towards adding a lot more bite to United’s rather lethargic-looking central midfield cavalry, with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred not doing enough to cover for the loss of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini in recent times. 

Verdict

Keeping those facts in mind, however, the Red Devils need to bring in a few more established players to bolster their ranks. Notwithstanding the fact that a promising prospect like Camavinga fits the bill at Old Trafford, United would be better off scouring the market for some immediate game-changers. 

In Dylan Levitt, James Garner and Ethan Galbraith, United already have some excellent young central midfielders coming through their U23 setup.

To that end, United should strive to find a perfect balance between youth and experience in their ranks. Given that Solskjaer has already shown plenty of faith in the club’s academy prospects, the Red Devils need to look for some accomplished players to turn their fortunes around in the Premier League. 

Camavinga is certainly a top player in the making but he is still very much a work in progress and United shouldn’t make the mistake of getting carried away by his sudden rise to fame in France. 

As well as the obvious difference between the two leagues, both in terms of the intensity of football and the level of competition, it is imperative to say that paying crazy money for a relatively unproven young player at the highest level could easily backfire as far as United are concerned. 

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Hence, sanctioning a big-money move for Eduardo Camavinga won’t necessarily be a good idea and United would be better off focusing on the development of Levitt and Garner, with a view to helping them make a gradual transition from the youth ranks to the senior level. 

All in all, Man United should forget about signing Camavinga, at least, for the time being, and not fall prey to Rennes’ eye-watering asking price for the teenager.