‘By far the most serious player’ - Man Utd teenage sensation turning heads in Croatia as scouts take note

17-year-old Manchester United academy midfielder Amir Ibragimov has already been turning heads in the prestigious Mladen Ramljak Tournament in Croatia, and scouts have been taking notes, according to the Sun.

The Red Devils under-19s are participating in the tournament in Zagreb after getting drawn into Group A alongside Rapid Bucuresti, Juventus and defending champions Dinamo Zagreb.

The Man United kids kicked off their campaign on Thursday against Rapid, with Ibragimov emerging as the most outstanding player in the 1-0 victory, calmly converting the penalty that decided it.

The likes of 15-year-old Kai Rooney and 14-year-old JJ Gabriel were also included in the squad, but it is the Dagestan-born teenager who has been grabbing all the attention.

“He is by far the most serious player in the tournament,” an unnamed scout who watched Man United’s opening game from the stands told a Croatian reporter afterwards.

Ibragimov remains the one to keep an eye on despite the talented crop of starlets in the Man United under-19 squad, and he also displayed his leadership abilities on the pitch after getting the armband, constantly organising his teammates against Rapid.

Man United secured a 2-1 victory over their Juventus counterparts on Friday, with Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher grabbing a late winner, and they will face the hosts in the last game of the group stages later today.

Group B has the under-21s of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk, and the winners of both groups will be facing off in the final on Sunday.

Previous editions of the Mladen Ramljak Memorial have featured the likes of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Eduardo Camavinga, and Ibragimov could follow in their footsteps and become a superstar.

He had trials with Man United in January 2024 and has since established himself as one of the best players in the academy, with many tipping him to break into the first-team soon.

Other European clubs have now taken note of him in Croatia and will continue to monitor his situation going forward as they sniff around the next talented teenager off the Carrington production line.

Article written by Alani Adefunmiloye .