Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd secure breakthrough deal after hanging Liverpool out to dry

Ralf Rangnick, new Man Utd interim manager, salutes crowd at Red Bull Arena, RB Leipzig

A Manchester United youngster poached from Liverpool has put pen to paper on a breakthrough deal at Old Trafford.

Last summer, Manchester United secured the services of promising right winger, Ethan Ennis. Aged just 16 at the time, Ennis joined United’s academy after rejecting a scholarship at Anfield. That was despite the prospect playing a crucial part in Liverpool’s march to the FA Youth Cup final.

That sparked a scramble for his services between United and Chesea, with the Red Devils ultimately winning the race.

Since moving to Manchester, Ennis has featured regularly for the club’s Under-18s this season.

Now, according to the Manchester Evening News, Ennis has signed his first contract as a professional at Old Trafford.

Ennis recently confirmed the news on his Instagram account, writing: “Delighted to have signed my first professional contract with Manchester United!

“A big thank you to my family and everybody who has helped me achieve this goal. Hard work continues.”

The article describes Ennis as the ‘standout’ addition to United’s academy last summer.

Paul Pogba expected to stay at Manchester United beyond January

Paul Pogba expected to stay at Manchester United beyond January

Manchester United fully expect Paul Pogba to stay at Old Trafford beyond January, but chances of keeping Dean Henderson past the upcoming transfer window appear slim.

Man Utd job tougher for Rangnick than previous bosses

Meanwhile, Nemanja Matic says Ralf Rangnick’s philosophy is not solely about pressing and believes the German coach has as tough a job as any of his predecessors at Old Trafford.

Matic said, as cited in the Daily Mirror: “I think this is the toughest league so far. When I came over in 2009, it was only Chelsea and Man United who were competing. Now there are a lot of teams who have a chance to win. The smaller ones have improved a lot and buy top-class players.

“The Premier League is just very hard…much more than 15 years ago, and of course, every manager who comes to a new club needs a period to adapt.”

Rangnick has a reputation for seeing his teams adopt a high-pressing game, but Matic, 33, says there is more to it.

“Of course, it will take some time, but we have enough talent in the squad to understand quickly and play how he wants us to.

“And that means a bit of everything, it isn’t just about pressing. You have to know what to do at this moment or that, and when and where to press.

“You must be physically ready, play well tactically when your chance comes, and we are already adapting to him.”

READ MORE: Paper Talk: Man Utd put prized, £50m Gerrard asset at Villa on transfer radar