Football teams are looking to get younger by the day, and it’s getting more and more natural to watch teenagers make their debuts with the first team, so everybody’s looking to put their hands on the next wonderboy that could wind up being the next big thing.
There’s one youngster that’s currently been followed by hundreds of scouts, as he’s turned thousands of heads since his early years at La Masia, being often compared to former Argentinian glory Diego Armando Maradona and with one of the biggest players of our time, FC Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta.
This guy is Carles Alena, former footballer Francesc Alena’s son, and his resemblance with Maradona goes far more ahead than the curly head and the fact that he also played for the Blaugrana, as the kid is one of the most offensively talented teenagers in the world right now.
So it’s only natural to think that Manchester United, a team known for their fetish with youngsters, are eager to dress this youngster in red, as this kid’s talent is completely outstanding and we’ve all known so since 2012 when he was starting to catch the attention of every single scout in the world.
The 18 year old has already made his debut for Luis Enrique’s side on a friendly game against Celtic, and he’s been completely demolishing opposing defences while playing with Barcelona B, where he has recorded 3 assists and one goal so far this season.
Alena’s often being compared with his biggest idol Andres Iniesta, as their style of play are very similar, being both really mature players on and off the field with a great feel for the game and an outstanding eye and talent to make key passes.
His biggest strength is his playmaking ability and his capacity to read the game, as his passing and vision are completely off the charts. He’s also a very smart player with a lot of ball control and technique that never lacks concentration and often does what’s best for the team even despite knowing he’s by far the best player on the field.
This guy isn’t scared to take the responsibility of orchestrating the attack of his team, but he’s also very committed on defence and even if that side of his game isn’t quite as developed as the offensive side, he’s constantly helping his team to get the ball back whenever it’s needed, showing great maturity despite being just a kid.
The youngster has been great for his side in the UEFA Youth League, and he seems more than ready to take a leap and contribute for a bigger team, being the best prospect in Barcelona’s academy right now.
However, it’s not very likely that he has the chance to do so at Barcelona’s first team given how many proven veterans are colliding on the team right now, so probably a loan spell or even an expensive transfer could be a great move for the youngster, and Manchester United knows exactly that.