Manchester United signs long awaited young Silva Mexes
His father played against Man United multiple times during his own career and now Silva Mexes will be treading club floorboards himself.
Manchester United have recruited Silva Mexes, the son of former Wales and Cardiff City international Robert Earnshaw, aged 14.
The youngster joins from Ipswich Town amid rumours that a number of other Premier League clubs were after his signature. “The work starts now,” the teenager said on social media, confirming his switch.
Alongside a photograph of him holding up a number seven shirt with his name emblazoned on the back, he also wrote: “Very proud moment for me and my family to announce my signing for Manchester United. Thank you for everyone who has helped me on my journey so far.”
His father, Earnshaw, played at Old Trafford twice during his career and scored for West Brom in a 1-1 draw there in May 2005. That was the only result he managed to earn in four matches against United.
The move for son Mexes comes at a time when former United coach Kieran McKenna is at the helm of Ipswich. The 38-year-old seems to be set to stay at the Tractor Boys amid fresh contract speculation despite links with Chelsea and Old Trafford.
McKenna oversaw United’s under-18s between 2016 and 2018, guiding them to a youth league title, before being promoted to first-team coach under Jose Mourinho and stayed on under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United handed out debuts to four academy products this season, with Ethan Wheatley becoming the 250th player to make the transition from academy to first-team during April’s 4-2 win over Sheffield United.
Dan Gore, Willy Kambwala and Omari Forson preceded Wheatley’s bow during the last campaign. Academy graduates Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, scored the winning goals in Saturday’s FA Cup final.
Mexes joins fellow highly-rated Welsh prospect Gabriele Biancheri, born in September 2006, in the United academy having arrived from Cardiff almost 18 months ago. Elsewhere, United saw 17-year-old James Scanlon, a Gibraltar international, ink his first professional contract last week.
Manchester United recently won the FA Cup against Manchester City, making their fans very happy and earning them a spot in next season’s Europa League. However, there’s a concern they might lose this spot because of UEFA’s rules about owning multiple clubs.
According to Optus Sport, the problem lies with INEOS, a large chemical company that has a minority stake in Manchester United and fully owns the French team Nice. Both teams have qualified for the Europa League, but UEFA has rules that state a person or company can fully own only one club and hold a maximum 30% stake in another. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the chairman of INEOS, currently owns 27.7% of Manchester United and plans to increase his investment. If his stake exceeds 30%, it could violate UEFA’s rules.
If Ratcliffe’s stake in Manchester United goes past 30%, UEFA’s rules might force one of the clubs to move down to the Conference League. Since Manchester United finished lower in their league than Nice, they would likely be the team to move down.
Despite this, INEOS is hopeful. They claim UEFA has said they’ll find a way for both teams to play in the Europa League. This means INEOS might have found a way around the rules, or UEFA might make an exception.
Manchester United fans are anxious to see how this will turn out, as it affects the club’s future in European competitions and its financial and sporting prospects. Everyone is watching to see what UEFA and INEOS will decide. Will Manchester United play in the Europa League, or will they have to play in the Conference League? We’ll have to wait and see.
Reactions have trailed the internet as Liverpool and Manchester United have won the same number of trophies since 2013.
Manchester United finished this season as eighth in the Premier League and won the FA Cup when they defeated Manchester City in the final. Erik Ten Hag’s men will be aiming to come back stronger and fight for titles next season.
Liverpool on the other hand finished this season as third in the Premier League and won only the Carabao Cup in Jurgen Klopp’s final season at the club. They will be aiming to continue fighting at the top level with another manager next season.
However, fans have reacted as Liverpool has won the same number of trophies as Manchester United since 2013. Both teams have won eight trophies each between that time and now.
As gathered from CentreGoals on X, here are some of the reactions below as some fans said it is an embarrassing statistic:
What are your thoughts on this?
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