Manchester United have reportedly entered the chase for Ronnie Edwards, who is also a target for rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
According to a report by Daily Express, Manchester United have joined the race to sign Ronnie Edwards at the behest of Sir Alex Ferguson. The 18-year-old Peterborough defender is also being courted by Tottenham Hotspur, with Brentford also keen on signing him.
Ronnie Edwards spent his formative years at Barnet, having joined the club’s youth setup at the age of nine back in 2013. After six years in the Bees’ academy, he broke into their first-team setup in 2019 aged just 16 before making further progress in his career. The next phase of his career came last year, when the young defender joined Peterborough United.
The 18-year-old has continued his upward trajectory at the Weston Homes Stadium, making ten appearances to date for the Championship club. His progress does not seem to have gone unnoticed either, with some of the biggest Premier League clubs turning their attention towards him. Two such clubs are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
The interest from Tottenham is understandable, considering Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier do not inspire a lot of confidence despite making a decent enough start to the season. Spurs have indeed capitulated in their last three Premier League fixtures, which points to a systemic issue in their defence.
So, while Japhet Tanganga is a promising defender and Cristian Romero ought to be a long-term solution at the back, Tottenham could still do with another central defender, making Edwards a viable target. The interest from Manchester United, though, comes as a bit of a surprise, seeing as they do not really seem like they will be in need of a centre-back for a few years now.
Indeed, Raphael Varane’s addition has created a solid central defensive arsenal for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to choose from, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly being his other options. However, Manchester United have been advised by Sir Alex Ferguson to make a move for Edwards, which is why they have now joined the race to sign him.
Manchester United are indeed always on the lookout for promising teenage talents to either add to their youth setup or the senior side, with Florian Wirtz one of the recent players being linked. To that end, Edwards fits the mould for Manchester United, who will also have to battle Brentford in his pursuit.
The Red Devils might just have an advantage over Tottenham and Brentford in the race to sign the 18-year-old, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s son Darren Ferguson is the Peterborough United manager. Having said that, the Posh are intent on keeping hold of Edwards for now and it will be interesting to see if he secures a big move to a Premier League club anytime soon.
