Manchester United and Manchester City are reportedly both showing a keen interest in Middlesbrough wonderkid Nathan Wood.
According to The Mirror, Nathan Wood is in demand. The Middlesbrough wonderkid is on the radar of two Premier League hotshots. Manchester United and Manchester City are both taking a keen interest in the 16-year-old who has recently completed his GCSEs.
Nathan Wood is the latest name to prop up in a long list of potential future superstars that are being linked to moves in the current transfer window. Wood plays for his hometown club Middlesbrough, the club where he has gone through his paces from the beginning of his footballing dream.
The England Under-16 starlet has made it to the Under-18 side at club level. Wood even has 10 minutes of Under-23 Premier League football under his belt. But, it is his inclusion in the first-team pre-season regime that is exciting Boro fans. The 16-year-old’s name was on the team sheet as he started in the friendly against Rochdale.
With the player tipped to be on the verge of breaking into the first-team setup at Middlesbrough, interest from the top tier was inevitable. Manchester United and Manchester City have been named as the clubs interested in the 16-year-old so far.
Manchester United seem to be continuing their aggressive youth recruitment policy going into the new season. Their policy has yielded brilliant results, with a fair share of stars already making their way to the Under-23 side and even on the pre-season tour with the first-team.
Nathan Wood, Boro’s 16-year-old pre-season prospect, has had his say on what has surely been a whirlwind few weeks:#UTB pic.twitter.com/KxOITjuxqe
— boropolis (@boropolis) July 25, 2018
The next crop also appears to be coming along nicely, with the current Under-18 side containing former Chelsea star Di’Shon Bernard headlining the list of defenders. The list though, does appear to need another defender, with new Under-18 manager Neil Ryan likely to focus on tightening the defence after taking over from Kieran McKenna.
The Red Devils have been linked with a few other promising youngsters recently, with right-back Dylan Crowe being one of them.
Manchester City, on the other hand, would love to beat their local rivals to the 16-year-old. Aliou Traore was thought to be a Manchester City target before he joined United. The youngster is already shining for Manchester United and recently came into limelight for scoring while going from one end to the other in just nine touches.
Another potential defeat might come in the form of Nico Gonzalez. The youngster was set to sign for Manchester City. But, he is now being linked with a move to Manchester United.
Still, according to the report, both the Manchester clubs will have to be satisfied by merely being interested in Nathan Wood. The youngster is seen as a integral part of Middlesbrough’s future and the defender himself will love to continue his footballing rise at Riverside.
Still, Wood seems to be the newest up-and-coming talent. And one is sure that Manchester United and Manchester City will be keeping a keen eye on the 16-year-old’s progress and development at Middlesbrough.
