Pranav Nair
Spanish starlet Arnau Puigmal set to leave Manchester United
According to The Daily Mail, Spanish sensation Arnau Puigmal is set to call time on his stint with Manchester United this summer.
It proves to be a disappointing end to a player who was touted for greatness. It was considered to be a coup when the Red Devils beat off Barcelona to land him from Espanyol in 2017.
He caught the eye during the 2017 edition of the prestigious Mediterranean International Cup. Espanyol knocked out United before Puigmal scored in the final against Barcelona.
Puigmal quickly established himself as a regular in United’s Under-18 side, scoring once in 16 appearances in his first season. He has since been promoted to the Under-23 side for whom he has scored 10 goals and made three assists. (h/t Transfermarkt)
The 20-year-old has however failed to progress further and never made the step up to the senior side. Spanish Segunda side Almeira are touted to be the frontrunners to secure his signature.
Puigmal was among the youngsters who travelled with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first team to face FC Astana in the Europa League last season. He remained an unused substitute that night.
An extremely versatile player, Puigmal can fill in for a variety of positions. A physically competent midfielder, he is known for making intelligent runs from deep positions and can score goals with both feet. He can also play at right-back and right-wing.
19-year-old striker Mark Helm, goalkeeper Jacob Carney, 20, and defender Max Taylor are all set to leave at the end of the season.
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The standards at a club such as United is very high and not many players can make the cut. At 20, Puigmal still has time on his side to make a name for himself elsewhere. Whether he will go on to do that remains to be seen.
