One of the New York Red Bulls' most promising youth prospects has flown onto the radar of Manchester United, according to a new report in British publication the Daily Mail.
The player in question is 17-year-old defender Matthew Olosunde, a US youth international from Trenton, New Jersey, who spent much of the past year in US Soccer's Bradenton Residency Program in the run-up to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile earlier this year. Olosunde (pictured above, at right) made one appearance in the young Yanks' three-and-out performance in that tournament, earning a start in a 2-0 loss to Nigeria before injury ended his participation.
“The New York Red Bulls academy defender has been training with United on and off since the summer and they are preparing to offer him a contract subject to work permits and international clearance,” claimed the Daily Mail.
A Red Bulls spokesman told MLSsoccer.com that the club “does not comment on rumors.”
Capable of playing right back, defensive midfielder and center back, Olosunde is rated No. 22 in the nation among his age group in TopDrawerSoccer.com's “IMG Academy 150,” a ranking of the United States' top youth prospects. He is not currently listed on the Red Bulls' academy roster; he was rostered for the Red Bulls U-16s in the 2014-15 season but rarely played while with the US U-17s.
