Pranav Nair
Manchester United facing competition for Grimsby Town starlet Ben Grist
According to Leicester Mercury, Manchester United will face competition from a number of Premier League teams for Grimsby Town starlet Ben Grist.
The 16-year-old is earning himself much attention from a number of big clubs. The likes of Liverpool and Chelsea are keen on him while an unnamed top Scottish team have also made enquiries.
It would now appear that Leicester City is ahead of us in the pecking order for the player. Newcastle United are now the latest side to enter the fray for Grist.
While Grimsby is yet to reach an agreement with any team, Leicester are in pole position to make their move. According to the BBC (h/t Leicester Mercury) Grimsby boss Paul Hurst said the club were in talks with Premier League sides about Grist.
“We’ll try and do what we feel is right, and try to be fair, and I think that’s something that they’re both very big on – how we treat people.”
The club’s new owners, Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit are open to agreeing to a sale, provided it is for the right reasons. Hurst has however indicated that the player will only be allowed to leave at a price that they deem fair.
“We can’t be a charity of course, but at the same time we want to try and conduct ourselves in the right way and do things in the right manner.”
United have in recent months brought in a number of top young players from across the world. Some of them, namely Hannibal Mejbri and Amad Diallo have also gone on to make their first-team debuts.
As Shola Shoretire has also shown this season, it does not matter how young you are. As long as you’re good enough and have the ability, you will get your chances at Old Trafford.
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Grist is undoubtedly a talented young player. However, at just 16, he would do well to spend maybe another season at Grimsby before making the step up.
While the likes of United can offer him better opportunities, there is nothing like learning on the job. The last thing he wants to do is to rush his chance.
