Manchester United: 19-year-old sensation scouted; midfielder set for first cap; row over Mkhitaryan

By Sam Leveridge

Manchester United chief scout Jim Lawlor was busy in midweek as he went to watch Genk take on Sassuolo with the Daily Mail claiming that he was casting an eye over 19-year-old Jamaican sensation Leon Bailey, who has caught the attention of the likes of Chelsea and Ajax in the last few months.

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The left winger, who can also play on the right or even centrally, joined the Belgian club for £1.2 million in 2015 and has gone on to make 59 first team appearances, scoring 15 and assisting 15, averaging a goal created or scored once every two games. The pacey and skillful youngster seems destined for a move to a big European club, and United could be the first to make a move judging by Lawlor’s presence at his last game.

Midfielder Ander Herrera was a late call-up to the Spain national team to replace injured Atletico Madrid man Saul Niguez in what is his first appearance on the full international stage. Despite being on the fringes of the squad for years under Vicente Del Bosque, the 27-year-old is yet to earn his first cap, but could be in contention under Julian Lopetegui as they face Italy and Albania in important World Cup qualifiers.

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Herrera has now shown himself to be the answer to a midfield problem in recent weeks at Old Trafford, and his good performances have clearly been noted far beyond Manchester and he will finally have the opportunity to add to his caps at under-23, under-21 and under-20 level.

On the other hand, summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan could miss out on Armenia’s qualifiers against Poland and Romania as he still recovers from a thigh injury picked up in the Manchester Derby defeat. Sky Sports report that United have requested that the Armenian FA do not call up the playmaker, who is by far and away the star player for his country.

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Mkhitaryan has struggled to make an impact since his £26 million move in the summer, playing 90 minutes of action, although they were spread across five games, with only one start to his name since his move from Borussia Dortmund, with bosses desperate to see him stay in Manchester to recover from his injury and begin to justify his sizeable transfer fee paid by Ed Woodward and co. only a few months ago.

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