As two of the most storied clubs not just in the Premier League but in world football, Manchester United and Liverpool should always be in the hunt for players that are, perhaps, destined to become the next big thing in the game.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll spend their hard-earned on any young players, but those with an expected projection that meets their own aspirations shouldn’t be passed up without due diligence being done at the very least.
Occasionally, a talent will breakout and the footballing world will fall over themselves to bow at his altar.
Take Freddy Adu for instance.
At 15 years of age Adu burst onto the MLS scene, and the extended worldwide fanfare that greeted his arrival in senior football was, frankly, astonishing.
However, he disappeared as quickly as he arrived, and now, some 17 years after his debut for D.C. United, he has played for 14 clubs in countries such as Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia, Finland and Sweden. Hardly the world beating forward that everyone expected.
Ricardo Pepi, an 18-year-old enjoying his breakout MLS season for FC Dallas, appears to be writing similar headlines.
So much so that the Mirror report that Manchester United and Liverpool have registered an interest.
A reported £10m fee is required by the MLS outfit, and whilst that’s cheap for today’s prices, the player is untested at the highest level and the hype surrounding him smacks of a need to crown the ‘new Adu.’
Both Premier League sides would be better looking for value elsewhere.