Moises Caicedo: Who is the young Man United transfer target?

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United could be set to snatch up one of South America’s most exciting young talents in Independiente del Valle midfielder Moises Caicedo. 

According to the Daily Record, the Premier League giants have opened discussions over the potential January transfer for the Ecuador international. 

However, Man United aren’t the only team interested in the 19-year-old midfielder. According to the report, West Ham have also shown an interest in the player, who would cost at least €6million. 

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Who is Moises Caicedo? 

Caicedo is a young player who plays as a box-to-box midfielder for Ecuadorian Serie A side Independiente del Valle.

The midfielder joined the Sangolqui club at the age of 13 and was already promoted to the senior side at the age of 18, when he made his in a 1-0 win over L.D.U. Quito in October 2019. 

The Ecuadorian season has been running since the start of the year and it has been a campaign that has showcased Caicedo’s talents as a player. 

In 27 games in all competitions, the young player has already picked up six goals and two assists. Which only goes to show how good he is in attacking sense, as well as his normal defensive duties. 

Where would Caicedo fit in at Man United?

While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been far from their best this season, this current squad is pretty well stocked for midfield options at the moment. 

Not only does Solskjaer have a number of central, attacking midfield options in Bruno Fernandes, Juan Mata and Donny van de Beek, but he can also call upon defensive and box-to-box players like Fred, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba.

As such, it’s hard to envisage Caicedo having an immediate impact at United or even picking up a huge amount of minutes in the second half of the season. 

However, there may be an opportunity for the young Ecuadorian to work as an understudy to someone like Pogba. Especially since he seems to be such a big fan of the France international. 

“I really like the game of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba,” said the young player in a recent interview. “I learn a lot from them every time I see them. I always try to do what they do, that’s why they are there.”