Manchester United tracking teenage striker sensation following Erling Haaland path: report

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has his eye out on young new talent (Image credit: Alamy)

Manchester United are reportedly one of a number of elite European clubs monitoring a teenage prodigy based following in the footsteps of Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

Oghenetejiri Adejenughure caught the eye in Red Bull Salzburg's youth team last season, netting 16 goals in 20 games at Under-18 level. The striker, who was born in February 2007, also scored four goals in as many matches for Austria at the Under-17 European Championships last month.

RB Salzburg have played a significant role in the development of a number of players who have gone on to secure dream moves across Europe via their reserve team, FC Liefering, including Dominik Szoboszlai and Erling Haaland. And with plenty of interest in his services, it now seems Adejenughure could be the latest highly-rated star to be lured away from Austria.

Manchester United are reportedly targeting Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Under-17 striker Oghenetejiri Adejenughure this summer.

Manchester United are reportedly targeting Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Under-17 striker Oghenetejiri Adejenughure this summer. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Express reports that Man Utd are among a cluster of top clubs who are tracking the talented teenager. The report also claims that other clubs that are monitoring his progress include Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. 

The player is also believed to have captured the attention of the Premier League giant's former interim manager, Ralf Rangnick. The 65-year-old, who heads the Austrian national team, believes Adejenughure as a player with the potential to feature for the senior team in the near future given his talent.

The Red Devils are expected to be active in the transfer market this summer following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of 27% of the club last year - though they will only have around £50m to spend before player sales.

Austria Euro 2024 squad head coach Ralf Rangnick of Austria looks on prior to the international friendly match between Switzerland and Austria at Kybunpark on June 8, 2024 in St Gallen, Switzerland. (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Ralf Rangnick believes  Oghenetejiri Adejenughure can be a future star (Image credit: Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag, who learned earlier this week that he would be remaining in his post as manager, is believed to be keen on signing a striker to support Rasmus Hojlund ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with Anthony Martial leaving as a free agent. 

It’s thought that Bologna's highly-rated forward Joshua Zirkzee, who has a £34m release clause in his contract, is being heavily considered by the club. 

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Jacque Talbot

Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.