Former Manchester United Wing-Back Antonio Valencia Tips Erik ten Hag To Rope In Brighton’s Moises Caicedo As He Lavishes Praise On The Midfielder
Sep 26, 2022 at 9:49 AM
Former Manchester United right-back Antonio Valencia has given a glowing assessment of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo while urging the Red Devils to acquire the services of the youngster. United were in search of midfielder of similar stature all summer long as they finally signed Real Madrid’s Casemiro for a whopping £60 million. However, the new signing received mixed reactions from the club’s fans given his age [30].
While United are believed to be still interested in signing a younger version, Valencia has presented them with an advice to snap up the Brighton midfielder. Caicedo has been in brilliant form ever since making his debut for the Seagulls, after joining them from Ecuadorian side Independiente in the winter market last season for £4.5 million.
Moises Caicedo had enquiries from both Manchester United as well as Liverpool
Moises Caicedo has really adapted well to the Premier League after arriving at Brighton in 2021. While he was sent on loan to Belgian side Beerschot last summer, the then Brighton manager Graham Potter recalled him back in January this year to bolster his midfield. The 20-year-old did reinforce Potter’s squad as he went on to make 8 appearances in the Premier League.
His 8-game cameo heavily impressed other Premier League clubs as many lined up to snatch him from the Seagulls. Liverpool, who were in midfield crisis at the start of the season after four of their first-team midfielders suffered ling term injuries, were reportedly the first to register their interest in bringing the 20-year-old to Anfield. Manchester City and Chelsea who were active in the market too had asked about the midfielder’s availability.
Antonio Valencia has now heaped praise on his fellow countryman Moises Caicedo, who he feels is ‘born to be great’. The former United captain also hopes that the youngster joins Red Devils sooner or later, which could be a huge deal for the club. Speaking on Studio Football, he said:
“Hopefully Caicedo can go to a big team in England. He is a humble boy; he was born to be great and hopefully he can come to Manchester United.”
While many top clubs were said to be interested in Moises Caicedo, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had revealed that Manchester United were the “only ones” who made an enquiry to Brighton. The Italian had reported earlier this month:
“There’s been a lot of speculation about Moises Caicedo and top Premier League clubs, with talk of further interest in January, so I thought I’d give my understanding of his situation. The only club interested this summer was Manchester United. They asked about Caicedo as potential option before signing Casemiro, who was the real and main priority. I’m not sure there will be a price tag for the player in January, as Brighton called him untouchable for the whole month of August.”
There’s a speculation that United manager Erik ten Hag wasn’t completely convinced about signing a 30-year-old Casemiro, that too for a hefty price tag of £60 million. His priority was De Jong who resisted till the last minute his club Barcelona’s several attempts to sell him. However, given the revelations made by Romano, United will certainly plan to launch a formal bid for the Ecuador international next summer.