Reports: Manchester United scouting India's FIFA U17 World Cup star Komal Thatal 

Manchester United scouting India's FIFA U17 World Cup star Komal Thatal

What’s the story?

If rumours are to be believed, Indian U-17 star Komal Thatal has attracted the interested of 20-time Premier League champions Manchester United.

According to a report in Bengali daily Aajkaal, United are keeping tabs on the young forward and will be sending their scouts to monitor him further during the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup. In fact, if he manages to impress the scouts, Thatal may be headed to United’s famed Youth Academy right after the World Cup.

In case you didn’t know…

Thatal is one of the brightest talents in the U-17 Indian team. He has been playing for the junior national side for the last three years and is known for his goal-scoring and dribbling abilities. He has a penchant for scoring against big teams and has previously scored against the likes of Brazil and Italy in the U-17 setup.

Also Check out: List of all Qualified Teams for FIFA World Cup 2022

The heart of the matter

Thatal, who came into the limelight when he scored a brilliant solo goal for the Indian U-17 side against Brazil U-17 at the BRICS U-17 Football Cup back in October 2016, has been attracting a lot of interest among the European clubs in the past few months.

The report, though, states that United have had him under their radar for quite some time now. The Red Devils are known for procuring young talent from all over the world and nurturing them into world-class players. Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best example of that.

According to the report, United will be sending their scouts to watch Thatal in action at the World Cup. The youngster, however, needs to perform on his part to impress the scouts.

What’s next?

India begin their campaign at the FIFA U-17 World Cup on 6th October 2017. Thatal is one of the key players for India; it’s needless to say that the team would be looking up to him to produce some magic.

Author’s take

Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They are second to none when it comes to reputation, fame and fan-following.

More importantly, their Academy is one of the world’s best and has produced players like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes to name a few. If Thatal indeed gets the opportunity, he should grab it with both hands. Joining an academy like United’s will only act as a catalyst to his growth as a footballer.