Wilfred Ndidi: Why Manchester United could be favourites to sign Nigerian midfielder

Wilfred Ndidi's connection with Manchester United and why they could be perfect for each other.

Wilfred Ndidi is about to conclude just his first full season in English football and has already had the critical acclaim with clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly interested in him.

When he first arrived in England from Belgian side Genk in January 2017, the leggy midfielder was just an unknown quality but a year later, he is leading the Premier League in tackles and has been Leicester City’s most consistent player this season.

 

At Leicester City, there is a feeling that the Nigeria international is ready for a move to a bigger club in England.

With a host of these big clubs interested, Manchester United could be the perfect place for him.

Ndidi's 2017/2018 season so far at Leicester City

Born and brought up in Lagos, Ndidi started playing football at Command Children School at the Military Cantonment in Ikeja where he was coached by former Golden Eaglets captain Nduka Ugbade.

He later joined respected Nath Boys Academy where he was also impressive.

Ndidi discovered by Janssen

In September 2016, Nath Boys were one of 40 teams that competed at a local tournament. There were about 500 players at the tournament but a Belgian scout Roland Janssen who at that time was working for Genk noticed only Ndidi.

 

Then a tall and lanky 16-year-old defender, Ndidi was pinpointed by Janssen and taken to Genk and from there, the rest they say is history.

The 58-year-old worked as Head Scout at Genk and responsible for discovering the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois.

Janssen interestingly is now a scout for Manchester United, having joined up with the 21-time English champions in 2017. 

While Jenseen is only mandated with only scouting in Belgium for Manchester United, he could recommend Ndidi who he rates highly for the Red Devils.

Ndidi and Manchester United perfect for each other

On the pitch, Ndidi and Manchester United also the perfect match for each other.

With ageing Michael Carrick retiring at the end of the season, there is an urgent need for a defensive midfielder at Manchester United.

 

While Nemanja Matic is expected to be the number choice in the near future, at 29, the Serbian looks like a stop-gap solution.

The perfect situation will be Ndidi coming in to understudy Matic and while he learns the trade from the former Chelsea star, he would still have some game time with a huge number of games as Manchester United compete in four competitions.

Of course, he would have to compete with Manchester United academy graduate Scott McTominay who is also 21.

 

But the Scot, however, has played as a box-to-box midfielder this season and the prospect of a partnership with a destroyer like Ndidi would be very promising for Manchester United.

Of course, they have been no confirmed interest in Ndidi from Manchester United. Maybe the connection outlined here through the scout that first discovered him is all embellishment, but Ndidi is clearly ready for a move upwards, so Manchester United? Why not.