On February 19, 2019, Manchester United paid €2 million which would rise up to €5 million based on add ons to sign then 16-year-old Rwandan kid Noam Emeran from French side Amiens. It was a club record as no teenager from the club has ever been bought by that amount of money. Even at 16, Emeran was already a household name in French football as he had excelled with the Amiens U19. ALSO READ: Noam Emeran: The Rwandan prodigy taking Man Utd preseason by storm Manchester United did not sign Emeran on a silver platter. English newspaper, the Evening Standard, revealed that Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain were also keen on the football prodigy before he eventually chose a move to the Red Devils. The player also told Le Parisien that the English club was more appealing and they were very convincing. Manchester United has been more convincing than PSG and Barcelona, Emeran revealed after completing his move to the Premier League side. Former Amiens coach Antoine Buron was always a great admirer of Emeran who he described as a star in the making. He could not hesitate saying that Manchester United signed a great talent. “An attacking player with a good left foot,” Buron said. In Emeran, Buron saw a boy with the world at his feet, a player who had the tendency to go flourish in his chosen career, a fantastic youngster with great potential to reach the apex of world football. At such a price tag, a fit Emeran has lived to expectations. He always finds himself on the starting lineup when he is fit, operating either from the right or left flank. Emeran, 20, has been consistent when he is fit and he is noted for his sublime goals. His pace, ball possession, dribbles, goal scoring prowess, speed and through passes have been catching the eyes of many at the club, including manager Erik Ten Hag who rewarded him a place in the squad that he took with him for the ongoing preseason. And numbers don’t lie. Emeran has, in his prime, had some fantastic games for the Red Devils. With the U18s, he scored 5 goals and provided 5 assists in 18 matches whereas, in the U21s, he made 36 appearances where he scored seven times and assisted twice in two seasons. His best game for Manchester United was on May 5, 2023, when he netted a brace in the U21s’ 2-2 draw with Leicester City in the Premier League 2. Manchester United is known for giving opportunities to players from their Academy, the likes of Jesse Lingaard, Marcus Rashford and others all passed through the Academy. The 2022/23 season saw Anthony Elanga making headlines in his debut season in senior team and, it could be Emeran’s turn next season if he stands a chance. In the young forward, the club has a priceless asset who can enjoy a remarkable breakthrough. Time to shine is now! Emeran, 20, had opportunities to train with the Manchester United senior team for a couple of times during the 2022/23 season but it has been during the ongoing preseason that he is coming of age. On Wednesday, July 12, he was on target when he scored the opening goal as Manchester United beat Leeds United 2-0 in a preseason friendly. He has impressed manager Erik Ten Hag and chances are high that he could get more first team playing time next season if he continues to shine in the preseason. Ten Hag is a coach who believes in talent breakthrough and Emeran should jump to the occasion and waste no chance in showing the Dutch manager what he can offer to the Red Devils next season which could see him challenging for a starting role against the likes of Antony, Anthony Martial and Jason Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho. But, if he continues to struggle for playing time in the senior team, a loan move to a Premier League or Championship club or another top flight club in the Europe’s top five league country would also be a possibility. So far, a host of clubs including Coventry City, French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, Dutch Eredivisie outfit Vitesse Arnhem, and Belgian Jupiler Pro League giants Anderlecht are all keen on his services on a loan spell and, for the best of his development, he deserves more than youth club football. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s Emeran scores as Man United beat Leeds in preseason friendly What are Emeran's expertise? Emeran is an all-round attacking player but his greatest assets are his dribbles, eye for goal and being a good set piece taker. He netted a sublime free kick against Leicester City which made headlines in English media. The youngster is a fantastic player who just need the chance to excel at the top and he can reach his potential this season if he stays fit.
