Manchester United are set for their first pre-season encounter of the summer, a clash against Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday afternoon.
With several senior stars on a break after their World Cup exertions, Saturday presents a glorious opportunity for a number of academy graduates to catch head coach Michael Carrick‘s eye.
The remaining wonderkids are all part of the Professional Development Phase (PDP) group, which consists of Under-17 to Under-21 players, who will also play a couple of friendlies on Saturday.
They are in Germany currently, taking part in pre-season training, and will play TSV 1860 Munich and FC Nurnberg at the Adi-Dassler Stadium tomorrow.
Cristian Orozco joins pre-season training
Both matches will be played on the same day, and United fans can finally catch a glimpse of their fourth summer recruit, Cristian Orozco.
While the Red Devils have officially announced their captures of Andrey Santos, Karl Darlow, and Youri Tielemans, the Colombian wonderkid has also officially joined the club.
He recently passed his medical and put pen to paper on his United contract with The Manchester Evening News revealing that he has joined training with the PDP group on Monday.
“Cristian Orozco’s transfer was completed on Monday when he celebrated his 18th birthday. He has started life at the club by joining the academy group, which means he could make his ‘debut’ tomorrow afternoon.
Cristian Orozco set to make his debut
“The MEN revealed last week that the PDP group (Under-17 to Under-21 players) will play two friendlies in Germany against TSV 1860 Munich and FC Nurnberg.
“Both friendlies will be played at the Adi-Dassler Stadium tomorrow, meaning Orozco could make his first appearance in a red shirt.”
In a recent interview, the Colombia Under-17 skipper explained his key physical attributes while detailing his biggest initial challenge.
Cristian Orozco is expected to stay at United this season instead of heading out on loan, as Diego Leon did last season. He will need to learn English and adapt to the playing style here in England.
With the first team crying out for a defensive midfielder, the former Fortaleza CEIF ace has the chance to catch Carrick’s eye with impressive performances for United’s Under-21s and Under-18s this season.
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