Man United Opinion: Red Devils should snap up Stoke City starlet Nathan Collins

According to the Daily Mail, Man United are considering a raid on Stoke City for starlet Nathan Collins, with reports claiming that the 18-year-old has been recommended to the Red Devils by former midfielder Darren Fletcher.

Collins broke into the first-team at the bet365 Stadium in the Championship this season and made 3 appearances for the Potters in the second-tier. The 18-year-old made his debut against Swansea City as a substitute before earning his first start and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 defeat away at Middlesbrough.

The 18-year-old defender is rated very highly by the hierarchy at Stoke and looks likely to play a more significant role in the first-team next season. Fletcher, who was released by Stoke at the end of the campaign, has been left impressed with the teenager’s development, which has promoted him to recommend Collins to Old Trafford.

The Daily Mail understands that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bolster the youth side with some exciting young talent, as the Norwegian looks to start a rebuilding job at the club and lay down a strong foundation for the years to follow.

Nathan Collins made 15 appearances for Stoke City’s reserve side in the Premier League 2 this season besides featuring on a couple of occasions for the Potters’ senior side in the Carabao Cup.

He has broken into the picture and there is every possibility that he could be loaned out to a lower division club next season to further his development, although the Potters might choose to keep him in their ranks to challenge for a first-team role in the Championship.

Born in Leixlip, Republic of Ireland, Collins started off his career at Irish club Cherry Orchard before joining Stoke City back in 2017. The 18-year-old has also featured for Ireland at the U17 level and he certainly looks set for a bright future.

To put things into perspective, not much is known about Nathan Collins but he looks like a real talent at this point of his career and Man United should not hesitate to snap him up for a thrifty fee in the summer.

The move, if it materialises, would probably see Collins go into the U19 or U23 side at Old Trafford, although the Red Devils might want to loan him out to a Championship club after making an assessment of the player’s development.

Not many youngsters from the academy have successfully managed to establish themselves in the first-team at Old Trafford in recent years but that needs to change, with Solskjaer now at the helm of affairs.

The Norwegian has shown the inclination to hand promising youngsters like Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong a chance to showcase their talent at the highest level and he needs to continue to do that if United are really serious about bringing back the glory days.

Traditionally, they have a wonderful record of moulding little-known talents into first-team stars and that needs to be reinstated at the earliest to build a platform for continued success.

United have been linked with several world-class stalwarts ahead of the summer transfer window, as the Red Devils look to build a formidable squad to challenge the likes of Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Spurs for the Premier League title. However, they should also prioritise the recruitment of a few talented youngsters, keeping the long-term plans in mind.

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Nathan Collins would hardly be expected to play a role in United’s first-team next season but this can be seen as a smart piece of business in a bid to add more quality, depth and competition to the youth ranks.