Man United have been linked with the prospect of signing soon-to-be free agent Jonathan David recently - and now one of their most talented youngsters has been compared to him.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has likened Manchester United youngster Gabriele Biancheri to Canadian international Jonathan David.
Biancheri recently teamed up with the Canada senior squad for the first time after being left out of the Wales squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium.
The striker, 18, qualifies to play for Italy and Canada, the birth of places of his parents, and Wales at international level, meaning he is not short on options.
He recently accepted an invitation to link up with Marsch's squad as they prepare for their upcoming friendlies against Ukraine and the Ivory Coast at the start of next month.
And despite still not making his first-team debut for United or one of the three countries he qualifies to represent, he has been compared to one of the world's current most sought-after strikers in David, who will be a free agent this summer after making the decision to leave French club Lille after five seasons at the club.
"He's a dynamic player," Marsch said of Biancheri, who starred for United's Under-18s and Under-21s this season. "He's very good around the goal.
"You can see he's an intelligent player. He's a version of Jonathan David.
"He's not exactly the same player but he's a striker that can play up on the backline and is also good at coming underneath and connecting plays and being part of the build-up phase."
To have been compared to a striker that has been linked with the likes of United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Barcelona over the last few months is a credit to Biancheri and his development.
He was United's most prolific goalscorer in the academy this season, scoring 25 times for the Under-18s and Under-21s combined, meaning he ended the season with more goals to his name than fellow exciting youngster Chido Obi, who has already gatecrashed the first-team at the age of just 17.
Of course, the gulf between youth football and senior football is huge, and no shortage of former United youngsters who have prospered in the academy have failed to make the grade when first-team opportunities have presented themselves, meaning there is no guarantee Biancheri will be able to replicate his form at youth level in a first-team environment.
Nevertheless, just the fact he has been mentioned in the same breath as David will almost certainly do wonders for the youngster's confidence, who will have ambitions of catching Ruben Amorim's eye in the future.
David, who has often been linked with United over the past year or so, confirmed earlier this month he will be leaving Lille after five successful years at the French club which saw him score 109 goals in 232 games.
Available on a free transfer this summer, he would have been a striker worthy of pursuing had United secured Champions League qualification. The 25-year-old scored seven goals in ten games in Europe's premier club competition this season and will have ambitions of playing in the Champions League against next term.
Although Biancheri is yet to prove himself at first-team level, Marsch's decision to compare him with David must make United believe they have a prospect on their hands. His goalscoring record this season has been impressive and his potential is exciting.
Despite David being available on a free, his wages will not be cheap, meaning if United play their cards right with Biancheri and continue to oversee his development in the right manner, they might just have an alternative on their hands in the future.
Comments