15-year-old Man Utd sensation who bagged 40-plus goals last term notches hat-trick on int’l duty
Manchester United under-16 striker Louie Bradbury was on fire for the Wales under-17 side in their friendly against their Gibraltar counterparts today, grabbing a hat-trick in the 5-0 victory.
The Red Devils sensation scored all three in the first-half, continuing his red-hot form in front of goal from where he left off last term.
Bradbury notched more than 40 goals last season for Man United under-16s, and he is one player first-team manager Erik ten Hag could be keeping an eye on.
The 15-year-old moved to the Red Devils academy from Shrewsbury Town’s academy last year and has been progressing well.
He bagged 126 goals in 2021-22 for the under-14 team of the Shrews, subsequently earning his first international call-up to the Wales under-15s ahead of a four-team tournament against Sweden, Denmark and Belgium in August 2022.
Man United snapped him up afterwards and he could soon be training with the first-team if he keeps impressing.
The Old Trafford club snapped up 16-year-old Denmark youth international striker Chido Obi-Martin from Arsenal some weeks ago, with both clubs now in talks to decide a compensation fee for him.
The teenage sensation ended 2023-24 with 32 goals and three assists in 20 under-18 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, bagging five hat-tricks in the final nine games of the campaign and scoring seven against Norwich City in a nine-goal demolition.
Obi-Martin also scored ten times for their under-16s in a 14-3 win over their Liverpool counterparts last November, and having the Dane and Bradbury within their youth ranks is massive for Man United.
The gulf between youth and senior football is wide, with many wonderkids often struggling with the demands of professional football.
However, Bradbury has huge potential and could save the Red Devils plenty of millions in the transfer window in the near future.