It’s no secret that Manchester United send scouts to many Portuguese matches.
The club have been following football in the country for some years, leading to the signings of Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.
Every week they usually have someone at all the big matches, and because it’s so regular it’s not something we always cover.
Now it turns out that it’s not only the first teams the Red Devils have been watching. The emissaries seem to be keeping an eye on the youth levels as well.
This information is hard to get because the local press normally only release the scouting list for official matches. But in a story from newspaper O Jogo, they now say Manchester United have watched Benfica in action in the UEFA Youth League too.
They say the Old Trafford side were represented in the Eagles’ game against Liverpool earlier this week, which the Lisbon side won 4-1. It’s claimed that Manchester United had representatives ‘to watch players from Benfica, as well as from the Reds’.
Given they reportedly watched Joao Felix through the youth levels, before he became a first team player and then moved to Atletico Madrid for more than €120m, they may be encouraged to move earlier the next time someone catches their eye.
