Man United signing this 18-year-old African ace would be useful irrespective of Sancho arrival

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Sourav Ghosh

Why Manchester United signing Amad Traore would be a good long-term move

Manchester Evening News reports that Manchester United are working towards the signing of Atalanta youngster Amad Traore. It’s been a rare sight to see new arrivals at Old Trafford this season as the club struggles to bring in their transfer targets. The only notable arrival has been that of Donny Van De Beek from Ajax.

Profile

Amad Traore is an 18-year-old Ivorian winger who plays for Serie A club Atalanta Primavera, the youth team of Atalanta. He started his youth career at Boca Barco in 2014 but moved to Atalanta’s youth setup the following season.

After two seasons in the youth team, he was promoted to the U-17s. In 41 appearances, he scored 23 goals and assisted 6. The following season, he was moved up to the U-19 side, which is also known as the Primavera side.

atalanta bc u19 v acf fiorentina u19 primavera tim supercup
Amad Traore (L) of Atalanta BC is challenged by Lorenzo Chiti of ACF Fiorentina during the Primavera TIM Supercup match between Atalanta BC U19 and ACF Fiorentina U19 at Gewiss Stadium on October 28, 2019 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images for Lega Serie A)

So far, he has played 46 games for the side, scoring 13 goals and assisting another 15 (source – Transfermarkt). Last season, he was called up to the senior side on three occasions. He made his debut against Udinese in October and also scored his first-ever goal in the same game. The winger is yet to make an appearance for his national side.

Why Amad Traore would be a good long term move for Manchester United

Amad Traore is a winger by trade. More importantly, he’s a right-winger. Manchester United have struggled to get a specialist player for that position for a long time now. They have had to use makeshift players like Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard on the right.

With the latest bit of news about Sancho not helping the cause, Manchester United might have to finally give up on their pursuit of the Englishman. Amad Traore may not be at the same level as Sancho, but we need to remember that the youngster is just 18 years old.

atalanta bc v udinese calcio serie a
Amad Traore of Atalanta BC celebrates his goal with his team-mate Luis Muriel (R) during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Udinese Calcio at Gewiss Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)

He has dazzled for the youth teams of Atalanta, boasting of ridiculous numbers despite being a winger. It would seem like a huge step up at 18 to move from a youth team to the Theatre of Dreams. However, Manchester United have always prided in spending on young players who more often than not have impressed.

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At 18, he will provide the club with a good few years of service and command a decent resale value too. Whether or not Sancho ends up at Man United, the club signing Amad Traore would be a good move.