Who Is Manchester United Target Aaron Anselmino?

Manchester United have been confirmed to be scouting Boca Juniors defender Aaron Anselmino by Fabrizio Romano, but as of yet, there has been no club-to-club contact. United are scouting a number of players in the South American market, which is a market they have neglected in recent years and paid the price for doing so. The Red’s previously scouted Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo before they left Ecuador and Argentina respectively, and it will be a mistake the club will be hoping to learn from.

Anselmino broke into the Boca first team recently, having previously played for the club at both the Under-20 and Under-21 levels. He has made seven appearances for the first-team thus far, at just 18 years of age. The Argentine is a centre-back but can also operate in defensive midfield.

Aaron Anselmino, The Next Big Thing?

One of Anselmino’s most impressive performances so far in his very short career came against Central Norte in the Copa Argentina. The 18-year-old showcased a number of qualities that make it no surprise that clubs such as Manchester United are looking to possibly sign him, and the club were in attendance at the game scouting his performance.

He is an aggressive front-footed defender who can step into midfield to try and win the ball off a midfielder or centre-forward in a high line. The Argentine can defend the channels well with his pace, and can also progressively carry the ball forward into midfield or further up the pitch if the space opens up.

Anselmino’s passing is special for his age. His distribution in the game against Central Norte was second to none, with the 18-year-old playing a number of line breaking balls into midfield and defence-splitting passes out wide to his onrushing wingers. He also proved his class aerially and when under pressure against a pressing unit. These are all qualities a recruitment team would look for when deciding which players to sign, and Anselmino has them in abundance.

The defender has yet to nail down a starting place in the Boca side since breaking into the first team, starting just once in the league, but the interest in him despite that is a mirror of how high his ceiling truly is. He is represented by ML Sports Argentina and has a contract until 2028 at the club, having only signed an extension in January. The 18-year-old is reported to have a release clause of around £20m in his current contract at Boca.

Manchester United are set for an overhaul defensively in the summer, but the player may not join the Red Devils immediately if a deal is agreed. INEOS are likely to sign new talents and send them on loan to their other club, OGC Nice, to try and aid their development. Similar has been seen with Manchester City and Girona, and Chelsea and Strasbourg in recent years.

Anselmino will be chased by a number of clubs across Europe, with United not the only Premier League club following the player. The summer could see him move, but it’s not certain that any club will strike and try to sign him considering he has barely played ten games in professional football. Nevertheless, it’s almost certain we will see the defender in Europe in the coming seasons, so he is certainly someone to keep a keen eye on.