Why Manchester United have done well to sign Jack Kingdon as one for the future
According to the Daily Express, Manchester United have completed the signing of exciting Morecambe prospect Jack Kingdon. The teenager took to social media to confirm the deal and will initially link up with the U-16 side at Old Trafford.
Kingdon rose through the youth ranks of Morecambe in League Two but never made a senior competitive appearance for his boyhood club. He made his debut for the Shrimpers’ U-18 side earlier in the season against Preston, despite being just 15. The highly-rated centre-back caught the eye of United’s scouts while featuring across various age-groups. The Red Devils then acted quickly to snap him up.
The 15-year-old is, in fact, the second youngster to be recruited by United in recent weeks. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side recently grabbed the headlines with the signing of teenager goalkeeper Tom Wooster from Barnsley and a deal for Kingdon represents a continuation of the club’s prolific youth recruitment drive.
Former Head of Academy Nicky Butt’s reign at Old Trafford witnessed the arrival of several sought-after young talents, including the likes of Tahith Chong, Largie Ramazani, Aliou Traore and Arnau Puigmal. Not all of them have thrived at the club but United have undoubtedly made a genuine attempt to scour the continent for up and coming prospects.
That policy has been carried forward by current academy head Nick Cox, with United enriching their academy with a host of talented youngsters from across the globe. Alvaro Fernandez, Marc Jurado, Joe Hugill, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Charlie McNeill, Willy Kambwala, Radek Vitek and Alejandro Garnacho all came through the door in the summer, joining up with United across various levels between U-16 and U-23.
To put things into perspective, the Red Devils have put a lot of emphasis on the transition of young players from the academy to the first-team. The acquisition of Jack Kingdon certainly represents a step in the direction for Manchester United.
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Verdict
The 15-year-old still has several stages left in his development curve before he evolves into a finished article capable of making the step-up to United’s first-team ranks. Of course, there are no guarantees that he would be able to make the grade at Old Trafford, but United taking a punt on a talented youngster definitely strikes the right chords.
