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Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign highly-rated Watford defender Harry Amass.
Earlier on Monday, The Peoples Person covered a report from Fabrizio Romano who confirmed the imminent arrival of Amass at Old Trafford.
United warded off significant competition from the likes of Chelsea and other top Premier League teams to land the services of the 16-year-old.
So who is Harry Amass and why is he so highly thought of?
Amass is naturally a left-back by trade. He is regarded as one of England’s brightest prospects for the future, hence the hotly-contested race to sign him.
He has been at Vicarage Road since he was nine and considering he signed an early scholarship deal to commit his future to Watford until he was 18, United needed to fork out compensation for him.
Amass has already featured for Watford’s U18 and U21s and was an unused substitute for the first team when they faced Reading in the FA Cup back in January.
The youngster especially caught the eye in his superb displays against Everton and Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup. The defender is likely to play for United’s U18s next season rather than slotting directly into the first team.
That United have offered him a four-year-contract suggests Old Trafford bosses have high hopes for Amass and believe he can contribute considerably to the senior team going forward.
He is a fully-fledged England youth international. He made his debut for the U15 side, aged 14 in December 2021 and is currently part of the England U16 set-up.
The Manchester Evening News reports, “Watford were desperate to keep hold of him beyond his scholarship deal and had already offered him a two-year professional contract, which he would have been able to sign when he turned 17 next year.”
Foottheball likens Amass’s playing style to some of the Premier League’s most lethal attacking full-backs including Trent Alexander Arnold, Reece James and Kyle Walker-Peters.
Amass is said to be of the same brand and favours an adventurous playing style. He possesses great intelligence while going forward and has the ability to pick out a pass.
This is not to mean he is poor defensively. Far from off it. He has shown great tenacity in his tackling and is a good winner of the ball.
He is not afraid to get stuck in and do the dirty work – these are all attributes the 16-year-old will need as he seeks to chart his career at the Theatre of Dreams.
United fans will get the chance to see what Amass is made of in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup later this year. He is expected to feature in the tournament in Indonesia that will take place between November 10 and December 2.
On paper, Amass looks like a shrewd acquisition and represents an age-old United tradition of snapping up the best talents and developing them to realize their high potential.
