While INEOS might have failed to bring in a senior defensive midfielder in the summer, Manchester United have signed a gem for the future in that position.
As relayed by The Peoples Person, Colombian youngster Cristian Orozco has been signed by the club, and he will join next summer, once he turns 18.
The 17-year-old impressed for Colombia’s U17s in the U17 South American Championships earlier, guiding his country all the way to the final.
Even though the Los Cafeteros ended up losing the summit clash, the Fortaleza CEIF youngster caught the attention of Giuseppe Antonazzo, United’s lead scout in South America.
Cristian Orozco has agreed United move
In fact, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano on Givemesport, an unnamed Bundesliga side was also chasing the former Rojo FC defensive midfielder and they tried to hijack United’s deal at the very last minute.
The Red Devils, not to be outdone, wasted very little time before concluding a pre-agreement worth an initial £750k thanks to Jason Wilcox, who always is on the lookout for the next diamond in the rough.
“After an initial verbal agreement and some details to clarify on the club side, Man United and Fortaleza completed all the steps of the deal with their lead scout, Giuseppe Antonazzo, coordinating this move as a German club also tried to enter the race and hijack the deal.
“Orozco wanted Manchester United and will join the Red Devils from July 2026, as soon as he turns 18. Orozco has accepted the proposal and will be part of Man United’s project.”
Bundesliga side tried to hijack the deal
Manchester United have used a similar strategy when they signed Diego Leon, Ayden Heaven or Sekou Kone in the last 18 months, with Jason Wilcox happy to include new faces when the transfer fee is cheap and the talent’s potential is considered very good – as in all of these cases.”
The deal is significant given how the 20-time English league champions had dilly-dallied when it had come to signing Moises Caicedo, who was ultimately snapped up by Brighton and Hove Albion.
Cristian Orozco has already been dubbed “the next Caicedo” for his similar skillset, and United’s co-owners have once again shown they mean business when it comes to youth recruitment.
It is also heartening to see the Old Trafford side focus their scouting on the South American market, an area that has been ignored for a long time.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Ayantan Chowdhury
After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
