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Manchester United have once more rewarded one of their impressive youth talents with their first professional contract as Amir Ibragimov commits his future to The Red Devils.
United fans are become more and more used to seeing products of the academy breaking through into the senior squad, with Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho establishing themselves last season, earning Golden Boy nominations.
This year, Toby Collyer and Harry Amass are the notable pair trying to breakthrough, routinely sitting on the bench under Ruben Amorim.
However, with Amir Ibragimov signing his first contract, it’s expected what his name will be one that fans get much more used to in the coming seasons, but who is the 17-year-old wonderkid?
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Amir Ibragimov and his journey though Manchester United’s academy
Amir Ibragimov was born in Dagestan, Russia in April 2008 before moving to England with his family in 2019 at the age of eleven. It didn’t take long for Ibragimov to impress on the pitch, joining Sheffield United’s youth side, drawing interest from Manchester United.
United instantly acknowledged not just Ibragimov’s versatility, but also his leadership skills, being given the captains armband for both the Under-14s and Under-15s sides.
Back in March 2022 we got an initial glimpse of the youngster’s sportsmanship and spirit, after winning a penalty against Tottenham. Despite stepping up to take the spot kick, Ibragimov disagreed with the penalty decision, so pass the ball to the Spurs goalkeeper, effectively cancelling out the penalty.
Although the winger’s potential has been known, this season the youngster has been showing why there’s so much hype around him.
Across the 25 Under-18s Premier League matches he’s played, Ibragimov has grabbed seven goals and four assists, playing across both wings, in attacking midfield and in central midfield.
In September 2024, Ibragimov completely turned the tide of United’s Under-17 match with Liverpool, scoring his first hattrick to support the club’s comeback from 2-0 down to winning 5-2.
Back in November 2024 the youngster put in a truly impressive showing against Leeds United, grabbing his another hattrick as The Red Devils won 8-0.
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Ibragimov as a rising star for club and country
With his versatility and the club describing him as “a creative attacking force”, it’s no surprise that Ibragimov has also stepped up to take part in first-team training sessions when the senior side have been low on numbers.
Now, with Ibragimov turning 17 this week, the talented teenager has been able to sign his first professional contract after agreeing a pre-scholarship with United in 2022, guaranteeing him a contract when he comes of age.
However it’s not jut United who has been impressed with the youngster, as the Russian born midfielder has been called up to England’s youth sides.
Ibragimov is eligible to play for The Three Lions due to living in England since the age of eleven, and has represented the Under-15s and Under-16s sides, scoring the winning goal in the Under-16s 2-1 victory over Italy after coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes of the game.
What’s next for Amir Ibragimov?
Whilst signing his first professional contract is a massive step for the youngster, we likely won’t see the attacker for some time yet.
Having just turned 17 years old, Ibragimov has time on his side with a whle year left in the Under-18s side.
As such, having already captained two previous sides, Ibragimov is likely to take on the captain’s armband again over the coming season, gathering call ups to the senior team’s training sessions to build his further experience.
It’s unknown as of yet if United will consider a loan move for the youngster over the summer, or if they’ll look to retain him due to his adaptability to feature in the pre-season tour of the USA and to cover injuries next season.
One things for sure though, Ibragimov certainly has an exciting career ahead of him at Old Trafford.
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Source: Centred Devils
