DONE DEAL: Manchester United and Samuel Lusale of Crystal Palace just inked a five-year contract.

Manchester United have reached a “full agreement” to sign highly-rated youngster Samuel Lusale from Crystal Palace, according to a well-placed academy source. MUFC_Youth reveals on X (formerly known as Twitter) United have secured Lusale’s signature and the 16-year-old will swap London for Manchester as he approaches a crucial stage of his career.

Lusale is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in his age group in English youth football. He is a skilful winger who can play in any position in the forward line.

The 16-year-old has dedicated the past three seasons to playing for the U-16 and U-18 Crystal Palace squads at Selhurst Park.

In addition, he has also served as a representative for Slovakia at the U-17 European Championship, which took place in Cyprus this summer. Prior to the event, ESPN identified Lusale as the standout player from the Slovakian team, commending his remarkable speed, unwavering determination to outmanoeuvre defenders, and astute positioning in the attacking zone.

United initially expressed interest in acquiring the services of the winger during the summer, as part of a larger plan to recruit the most exceptional talents from the British academy system. This approach was necessitated by the Brexit restrictions, which prohibit English teams from signing players under the age of 18 from foreign clubs.

In the past, Old Trafford scouts successfully recruited players like Alejandro Garnacho, Willy Kambwala, and Hannibal Mejbri. However, their attention will now shift towards acquiring talented players from within the country.

INEOS, who acquired complete ownership of the sporting business at United in February, demonstrate a high level of dedication to strengthening the club’s academy as much as the senior team.

Following Fabrizio Romano’s announcement, it was reported that Lusale’s contract was confirmed. This news came shortly after the club reached an agreement to recruit Chido Martin-Odi, a 16-year-old prodigious striker from Arsenal. Martin-Odi had an impressive record of scoring 32 goals in 20 games for Arsenal’s U-18 team previous season.

The brilliant duo have joined the ranks at Old Trafford, along with Silva Mexes Tyler-Earnshaw (Ipswich Town) and James Overy (Perth Glory), as young players. Additionally, Camron Mpofu (Reading) is anticipated to sign this summer.

United is now in talks to secure significant transfers for Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte at the senior level. It is encouraging to see that INEOS is equally committed to investing in the future of the club’s highly regarded academy, in addition to the present first-team.