United complete trio of world’s best teen centre backs with magnificent £1m capture of English wonderkid

Manchester United have added some fresh talent to their academy ranks with the signing of Harley Emsden-James.

“United will pay Southampton a £1 million compensation fee for Emsden-James, with the Championship club retaining a 20 per cent sell-on clause,” The Athletic reported.

“United are excited about the signing, who follows fellow teenagers in Chido Obi, Sekou Kone, Ayden Heaven and Diego Leon in joining the club the past year,” the article continued.

Having played for England at the youth level, Emsden-James seems to constantly punch above his weight thanks to his notable talent.

“Emsden-James has played in the year group above in Southampton’s academy. However, his departure has felt an increasing likelihood in recent times, so this has not come as a shock to Southampton’s staff. Still, as one of the club’s key aims to improve the academy, losing talents regularly will knock that ambition back,” the report concluded.

A natural centre-back, Emsden-James appeared in two U18 Premier League matches for Southampton last season, both as a substitute. (Transfermarkt)

While he is clearly still unproven, United fans could be forgiven for getting excited about this latest signing, given the stellar job that the club’s talent network has done as of late when it comes to youth signings.

Signed from Arsenal last season, Chido Obi has been highly impactful in the handful of senior appearances he has enjoyed to date.

He was particularly clinical in United’s post-season match against Hong Kong, scoring twice to lift his team to an emphatic 3-1 win.

Another promising youthful transfer is Ayden Heaven, who signed from the Arsenal U21s in February.

He proved to be a rock at the back in his four Premier League appearances, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

If United’s impressive recent academy signings are anything to go by, Emsden-James might just be the kind of defender that the club needs to continue building their defensive capabilities ahead of next season.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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