The first rule of scouting is – do not look for young talents and “great new things” at summer tournaments. They are festivals of football where a player can burst onto a big scene in a short period of time, playing some amazing football in a span of four or five matches and never show such heights again. And that makes sense. Just try to remember who is Royston Drenthe. Yet, you could look at these tournaments and find confirmation that a certain players is as good as you were maybe suspicious he was. These four players are the ones United should pay attention to, as they all proved that there is something interesting about them.
Hirving Lozano
The PSV winger is the player that started this World Cup in a way Germany will remember him forever. His display against the still current world champions was exhilarating and tough to keep up with. During this tournament he proved that his great season in Holland was not a coincidence and in this vibrant Mexican side, Lozano really showed what he is all about. Of course, Manchester United should not pursue him just yet. This was his just first season in European football and he started his career on the continent really well, scoring 17 and assisting eight goals in Eredivisie. The Dutch league is much weaker and he should still be developing, but he does possess the potential to reach great heights.
Jose Gimenez
The Uruguayan could become the world’s best centre-back in the world. Let’s get that straight right away. His potential is that great. At 23, he already played four stellar seasons at Atletico Madrid, winning Europa League and reaching a Champions League final. When you constantly play alongside Diego Godin, both at club and country, you have a great mentor too. And with Diego Simeone as your coach, only the sky is the limit. But aside these great figures around him, Gimenez showed once again how good of a centre-back he is. Getting him would be a very tough task for United, but it would be worth the hassle.
Harry Maguire
It is good to see an English player in this list. Leicester City’s centre-back showed at this World Cup he continues improving. Playing in a 3-5-2 is probably easier for him, to be completely frank, but Maguire showed great abilities in retaining possession, positioning and persistence in getting onto crosses in both boxes. He is always composed and did not get flustered so far. Getting him from Leicester would not be cheap, but an English player is always worth more in Premier League, anyway.
Lucas Hernandez
Another Atletico Madrid player. They really are doing things properly there. The French left-back has been their first choice throughout the tournament and is still to make a wrong step. He did everything properly in these matches, showing that age is not all that important when you have quality. He is 22, likes popping up forward, but is above all reliable player who will do what is asked of him. This being Atletico Madrid, do not hold your breath, but he would definitely solve the issues at left-back. And probably for a long time.
I’ll not comment on three of them but Harry Maguire was part of a Leicester defence (with Schmeichel behind them), playing in every game, that conceded 60 goals in the EPL, over twice as many United’s defence. Only 4 teams in the EPL had a worse record than Maguire’s team so unless you think he would be willing to clean Chris Smalling’s boots he’s probably better off staying at Leicester