Who is Ronnie Edwards? The England U20 star wanted by Man Utd & Aston Villa

Cameron Smith

26 Feb 2024 17:09 GMT
5 min read

Ronnie Edwards, Peterborough, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Manchester United and Aston Villa are among the clubs interested in signing Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards, who is considered to be one of England's most promising centre-backs.

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Man Utd's interest dates all the way back to 2021, but the Red Devils are yet to act on this, opening the door for other interested Premier League teams.

Despite his young age, Edwards broke into the Peterborough side at the end of the 2020/21 season, and has taken great strides since then.

He is actually a product of the Barnet academy, where he played until 2020, upon signing for Peterborough.

While he's now attracted the interest of Man Utd, who is Edwards and what kind of player is he?

What position does Ronnie Edwards play?

Edwards is a central defender.

How good is Ronnie Edwards?

It's hard to tell just how good Edwards is given he is playing in League One, but he has over three years of senior football under his belt and he is a regular in England's youth set-up too.

His breakthrough at Peterborough came under Sir Alex Ferguson's son Darren and the Man Utd legend has previously informed his former club to sign him, which is a big statement about Edwards' ability.

Edwards made his Peterborough debut aged just 17, and the fact he made 34 appearances in the Championship during his debut senior campaign is testament to Edwards’ immense maturity and composure.

Man Utd have been scouting the Englishman for three years and his form this season has been exemplary.

Edwards is coolness personified in possession of the ball and his comfortability playing out from the back combined with his natural defensive instincts suggests that a Premier League move wouldn’t be too big a jump, despite the fact he is currently plying his trade in League One.

🏆 Congratulations Ronnie!

Ronnie Edwards has won the @EFL Young Player of the Month for January.

👏 Deserved!#pufc
— Peterborough United (@theposh) February 16, 2024

In 2021, Peterborough United director Barry Fry, who is a former Man Utd player himself, told the Peterborough Telegraph: "Ronnie is a Rolls Royce. We knew that when we signed him.

"I used to watch a lot of under 18s football at Barnet as well as Posh and I told the gaffer about him. And when we brought him in for a game Darren watched him for 20 minutes and told me to sign him.

"Spurs were watching him at the time and Brentford were very keen on him. In fact Brentford were so upset when we did the deal they complained to the FA!

"It’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the under 23s at our stadium.

"Ronnie is money in the bank for the club. He’s a certainty to have an outstanding career in the game, but there’s no better place, and no better manager than Darren Ferguson, to help him develop quickly.

"We want to thrive and prosper in the Championship so selling our better players is not an option. A couple of good seasons in the Championship would make him worth £10million to £20million.

"There will become a time when we can’t stand in his way as he’d make life-changing money like Ivan Toney as a Premier League player."

Fry also added what he believes is Edwards' best trait: "He is so calm and composed and his passing is unbelievably accurate." That is vital for a big club, and is no doubt why Man Utd are now so keen on him.

Edwards played a key role in England's U19 Euros triumph in 2022, starring alongside Liverpool's Jarell Quansah at the back, with Chelsea's Carney Chukwuemeka, Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also in the starting XI for the win over Israel in the final.

He is one of England's most promising young talents and a Premier League move appears on the horizon.

What clubs are interested in Ronnie Edwards?

In 2021, Man Utd, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford all wanted to sign Edwards, with the former's interest reported by The Express, who added that Ferguson was the driving force behind the Red Devils' interest.

The Daily Mail have reported that Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and West Ham United have all identified Edwards as a transfer target ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window.