Man Utd's next star? INEOS sign former England wonderkid

Tom Weber

• Updated: 8 Jan 2024 21:42 GMT
• 4 min read

INEOS-backed OGC Nice have signed Mohamed-Ali Cho from Real Sociedad.

The Ligue 1 side have announced that they have snapped up the 19-year-old French youth international for €12 million in what is a pretty good deal for Real Sociedad. In the Basque Country, Cho frequently struggled with injuries and only made 40 appearances across two seasons yet Erreala still managed to turn a €1m profit.

Indeed, it has been those pesky injuries that have derailed the youngster's promising career. Before declaring for France at U19 level, Cho was part of the England youth setup and one of Europe's hottest prospects. A former PSG and Everton youth, the striker got his first taste of senior football at Angers, regularly featuring for the first team at just 16 years of age in Ligue 1.

At the time, he was one of the youngest players in Europe getting regular minutes in a top-five league. However, after signing for Real Sociedad, his fortunes took a nosedive due to his persistent fitness issues and he could not build on his Ligue 1 success. Now back in France, he is keen to get his career back on track.

Cho enters the INEOS orbit

Having signed for Nice, Cho has officially entered the INEOS orbit. After Sir Jim Ratcliffe's acquisition of a minority stake in Manchester United, it is clear that Red Devils chiefs will have a vested interest in ensuring that Cho can revive his still-young career. After all, he could become an interesting option for United going forward.

Despite his career stagnating over the past two seasons, Cho is still a player with bags of potential. Though he has never been particularly prolific at the senior level - he has scored just six goals in 95 first-team matches - the 19-year-old remains a highly-rated player. According to data experts SciSports, Cho has the potential to become a key player for Man Utd if he fulfils his potential, which is not quite as high as that of Rasmus Hojlund, but it is not far off.

Looking at SciSports' Career Advice tool, we can see that Cho's best-suited clubs right now are Nottingham Forest and Everton, which illustrates that the data experts clearly believe that he could already do a job in the Premier League. The versatile attacker, who can play centrally and out wide, is certainly one to keep an eye on.