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Manchester United, under INEOS, have been very active when it has come to academy recruitment.
For far too long, during the Glazers regime, United have dilly-dallied and allowed potential superstars to escape from their grasp. But that no longer seems to be the case.
Deals for Chido Obi, Diego Leon, Harley Emsden-James, and Enzo Kana-Biyik are examples of the Red Devils being proactive in the market.
The 20-time English league champions have already agreed a pre-contract deal with Cristian Orozco, who is in Manchester to formalise the signing.
Mouhamed Dabo had a great trial with United
And there were expectations that United would also sign Senegalese wonderkid Mouhamed Dabo, who impressed the coaching staff during his recent trial.
The Senegal U18 international also had a trial at La Masia for Barcelona, and competition for his services were heating up with only formal and technical steps left for United to agree the deal.
Officiel : après des essais à Manchester United il y a deux mois, Mouhamed Dabo signe avec le NK Kustošija, en D3 🇭🇷.
Le milieu de Be Sport 🇸🇳 rejoindra son nouveau club le 1er juillet 2026. pic.twitter.com/ND9LoxRGcO— Taggat (@taggatsn) December 1, 2025
However, in a stunning twist, the midfield gem has decided to sign for NK Kustosija in the Croatian third division, with the club announcing the signing on social media.
The post read, “One of the most talented midfielders in the world and captain of the Senegalese U-17 national team – Mouhamed Dabo has signed a multi-year contract with NK Kustošija!
Stunning twist, no logical explanation yet
“The 17-year-old Senegalese, who was sought after by numerous world giants, grew up at the Be Sport football academy in the capital Dakar, where he has already become a regular player for the senior team, and will arrive on the Kustošija Riviera on July 1st next year!”
Mouhamed Dabo will officially join NK Kustošija next summer, but the entire episode does not add up. How can a midfield talent who has already impressed Barca and United youth coaches choose to sign for a Croatian third-division club.
Maybe, he did not impress during his trial, maybe it was his agent driving the rumours. Or maybe, the Old Trafford side hesitated and the Be Sport Academy graduate did not want to wait any longer.
Either way, things will become clearer in the future regarding why a move did not pan out. Fans should not fret too much as INEOS remain keen on adding talents to the academy pipeline and more such gems will continue to be unearthed.
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
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