Manchester United are watching Felipe Esquivel in action at the U-17 World Cup in Qatar as they have an interest in the River Plate teenager.

According to Graeme Bailey, Manchester United are on a scouting mission at the U-17 World Cup and have set their sights on several upcoming stars. One of those is River Plate teenager Felipe Esquivel, who recently impressed for Argentina in their opening game against Belgium.

Manchester United are one of the leading clubs actively scouting for future stars at the U-17 World Cup, currently being held in Qatar. They have set their sights on several names to watch at the tournament, with Felipe Esquivel one of those on their list.

Esquivel, the River Plate teenager, is quietly impressing with his performances for the Argentine club’s youth ranks and has carried it into the World Cup in Qatar. The teenager was instrumental in Argentina’s opening fixture, as he came off the bench to turn the game on its head with a goal and assist to secure a win.

The Manchester United crowd watching him in action were left impressed, as there might have been other observers present in this high-profile clash with Belgium. The Red Devils also watched Brazilian striker Dell as part of their scouting plan, as there are more players on their list in that regard.

River Plate have high hopes with Esquivel for the future, as they are eager to count on him to make the breakthrough to the first team soon. They consider him a similar talent to recent Real Madrid signing Franco Mastantuono, and have ensured they do not make the same mistake by selling another one of their teenagers on the cheap.

River Plate will not sell Felipe Esquivel on the cheap

Before Esquivel travelled to Qatar, he signed a new three-year contract with River Plate, which contains a mammoth £88 million release clause, as confirmed in the report by TBR. River Plate does not want to make the same mistake as they did with the Mastantuono sale, where they sold him to Real Madrid for £35 million.

Hence, the Argentine giants are now in a strong position to extract the best possible value for another one of their top talents. Manchester United might approach depending on how they evaluate the £88 million-rated South American prodigy for their future teams, although they are unlikely to pay anywhere close to the release clause.