Manchester United pins Tahith down
Manchester United have finally pinned Tahith Chong to commit his immediate future to the club when he signed a new two-year deal with the option to extend for a further year on Monday.
The Dutch winger had less than three months on his contract deal which meant that he would have walked out of the doors a free agent in July.
His agent, Erkan Alkan, was spotted a few times in Italy with the likes Juventus, Inter Milan, and Lazio sending scouts to watch the United academy product a few times.
“There was a lot of interest, we talked to big clubs, but Manchester United came up with a good plan for Tahith,” Alkan has said.
“He likes to stay with the club that brought him from the Netherlands.”
The United hierarchy didn’t want to repeat the mistakes they did with the then 19-year-old Paul Pogba who left United for Juventus in the summer of 2012.
Chong came highly recommended by his academy coaches who knew he had the potential having shown glimpses of his capability making 14 first-team appearances after his debut at the start of last year.
The young lad is far from a finished product as there’s some level of rawness and unfinished quality to his game, but needed lots of nurturing to get to his level best.
“Tahith works extremely hard every day and he is constantly improving,” Solskjaer has said. “His performances this season, whether for the first team or Under-23s, are a testament to his hard work, dedication and to his character.”
“We are pleased with the progress he has made since he stepped up from the Academy and are looking forward to continuing to develop his talent.”
“Tahith has great potential; given his age, ability, and work ethic, we can see that he has a bright future at Manchester United.”
It’s said that Chong nearly opted out of Old Trafford before conferring with his family and agent.
