Manchester United secures two Manchester City youth talents! Uncovering Ratcliffe's ambition, signed 12 youngsters last year

Manchester United completed the signing of two youth midfielders from Manchester City this week, with David Eze and Karim Cassim both set to join. The duo had been rumored to move to the Red Devils all summer, and now it's finally done. Club football director Jason Wilcox, who previously worked in Manchester City's youth system, was a key figure.

The 16-year-old Eze is not related to Arsenal's Eberechi Eze, who is an English international of Nigerian descent. The younger Eze was born in Dublin, Ireland. He plays as a defensive midfielder, tall and strong, good at ball control, and is considered a versatile modern midfielder capable of passing and dribbling. Eze has already represented England at U17 level multiple times and served as captain of the England U16 national team.

Although Eze has represented England at youth level, he still maintains close ties with Ireland. He moved from Clondalkin, Ireland to Manchester at the age of 6, while his father continues to live in Ireland. It is understood that Eze is extremely proud of his Irish heritage and would be willing to represent Ireland if the opportunity arises. Manchester United has a close relationship with Irish football, with former players such as Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, and John O'Shea being Irish football legends.

Eze will not be able to sign a professional contract until he turns 17 next year. Manchester United contacted the player as early as June, and he and his agent visited the Carrington training ground. He ultimately rejected offers from other Premier League clubs like Arsenal and chose to join the Red Devils.

Joining Eze at Carrington is his Manchester City teammate Karim, who made his debut for the City U18 team at the age of 16, scoring 3 goals in 10 games. This player can play as a No.6 or No.8, and is good at dribbling forward and long-range shooting. Cassim is also a member of the England youth teams, where he was teammates with Manchester United's "Little Messi" JJ Gabriel.

In addition to Manchester City's youth players, Manchester United is also poaching a Liverpool youngster. 16-year-old winger Isaac Konde is also believed to be close to joining. They will all join the Manchester United U18 youth team coached by club legend Darren Fletcher.

Liverpool's Vincent Joseph is also said to have agreed to a scholarship contract, but it has not been completed yet. According to British media, the player, although playing for Liverpool, has been a die-hard Manchester United fan since childhood.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has criticized Manchester United's youth system for declining in recent years, and he is very keen for the club to sign various young talents. Data shows that the club signed 12 new academy players last year. Ratcliffe hopes that among these players, there will be stars of the caliber of Mbappe, Keane, or Scholes.

Of course, Manchester United does not always succeed in signing their target youth players. 14-year-old Derby County prodigy Blake Henry is about to join Chelsea. Henry scored 45 goals last season and was initially close to joining Manchester United, but ultimately chose to move to London. Despite Chelsea's transfer restrictions, they were still able to sign Henry, and the youngster is expected to be eligible to play in late November.

However, Manchester United's summer youth recruitment has been quite fruitful, securing several young players, such as 17-year-old Colombian defensive midfielder Christian Orozco, 18-year-old Tottenham winger Tynan Thompson, and 19-year-old Swansea goalkeeper Kit Magson.