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Manchester United’s youth academy has added another feather to its cap in a season full of positives for it.
This one comes away from Old Trafford, but will benefit United all the same, in more than just an emotional sense.
Ryan Taylor of The Daily Mirror reports that Bayer Leverkusen are monitoring Luton Town’s Teden Mengi.
Taylor says that Leverkusen’s Head of Emerging Markets, Matthew Green was in attendance last week when Luton played Sheffield United.
Mengi remained an unused sub that day as he recovered from an injury so Green wouldn’t have been able to learn much.
Green could attend the game against Manchester United, for which manager Rob Edwards has already admitted that Mengi is fit.
United will face the monster they created who has starred for Luton this season after a move that flew under the radar in the summer.
Mengi has already attracted interest from other Premier League clubs as well and the addition of the Bundesliga giants to this race will work in United’s favour.
Not just because another player from the academy is now shining, but also because United are set for a potentially huge windfall if he moves.
Mengi’s sale had a sell-on clause where United would be entitled to a percentage of the transfer fee if/when the defender moves from Luton.
This is a practice United have started doing a lot lately as they have tried cashing in on prospects before successive loans rob them of all value.
Besides the emotional and financial angle, there’s a sporting angle to the sale as well if transfer dominos fall in United’s favour.
Leverkusen’s defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba is being targeted by a host of clubs around Europe, with United being one of them.
If Mengi’s move helps United extract one of those out of Germany then the youth academy needs to be thanked thrice over for a player who never flourished at United!
