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Man United set to lose out in the race to land ‘best 17-year-old’ in the country

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Liverpool set to trump Manchester United to Kaide Gordon

Manchester United were among the clubs keeping tabs on Derby County wonderkid Kaide Gordon.

Described as the “best 16-year-old in the country”, Gordon has already broken into the Rams’ U18 side. He has so far scored three goals in eight games. Gordon has also made one senior appearance for the Championship side. (h/t Transfermarkt)

According to the Liverpool Echo (h/t The Metro), arch-rivals Liverpool appear to have won the race to land the young wonderkid. The deal could be completed as early as this week.

Liverpool set to trump Manchester United to Kaide Gordon
Manchester United target Kaide Gordon made his senior debut for Derby County last month

Although Gordon has broken into the Derby first-team, he is yet to pen professional terms. This will see Liverpool pay compensation worth an initial £1million. This could rise to £3m with add-ons. (h/t The Metro)

If the hype is real, the Merseysiders will be getting themselves a potential superstar for peanuts. The youngster who was last season’s Academy Player of the Year at Derby.

Capped by England at the U-16 level, he is regarded as one of the best players in Europe for his position and age. It remains to be seen if Gordon too will go on to impress like Harvey Elliott.

Wayne Rooney joined Derby County as player coach in 2020
Wayne Rooney joined Derby County as player coach in 2020

Derby are managed by Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney. He has an excellent opinion of Gordon but believes the player still has much to develop. (h/t The Daily Mail)

While he has admitted that the youngster would be well served to stay at Pride Park, it would appear that Liverpool’s lure has been too much to turn down.

Moreover, Derby’s financial plight and a delay to their takeover have left them vulnerable to offers.

Jurgen Klopp turned down an opportunity to manage Manchester United early on in his career. (GETTY Images)
Jurgen Klopp has won the race to land Kaide Gordon (GETTY Images)

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United have moved quickly to sign a number of young talents in recent windows. Given the hype, it is unfortunate that we failed to land Gordon. It remains to be seen how the youngster develops at Anfield.