Manchester United’s Academy ranks may have just been gifted a modern day replica of the Da Silva twins with latest Under-16 recruit Indy Boonen luring his equally talented brother – Seppe – to Old Trafford.
But what reason could his former club, Genk, possible cite for his departure? Well, he didn’t hit the heights so to speak. And I don’t mean this in terms of his ability. The Boonen in question plies his trade between the sticks and – as a goalkeeper – a tall physique is often favoured so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Belgian outfit couldn’t find a place for the young man within their senior setup.
Their loss is our gain though as a kicked-to-the-curb 13-year-old prospect has a chance to reiterate that the sky’s the limit even if you aren’t quite physically capable of reaching it. Who knows, he may even have a growth spurt too!
A proud youngster, an invitation into the Reds Under-14s side has already swelled the Boonen brother’s heart with pride following an updating social media brief bio of ‘Goalkeeper at Manchester United’ and topped off with a heart-shaped emoticon. We can only hope this passion is as evident on the pitch as it is off, but he will face stiff competition to establish himself in the jersey with several shot-stoppers already making a name for themselves at Carrington.
One wealth-of-experience laden goalkeepers Boonen can watch and learn from is van Gaal’s very own Victor Valdes. At 6ft, the Spaniard made almost 400 league appearances for European giants, Barcelona, let alone other competitions!
Boonen himself has featured in a multitude of contests despite possessing limited years and we hope could form the next highly-desired sibling partnership with his brother. Their roles working in harmony (as Indy is most comfortable in the left-back mantle) could be particularly valuable with the two inevitably possessing a unique understanding.
Additionally, joining a series of low-profile of 2015 signings could perhaps instil some determination into our latest newcomer. I’ll wait in anticipation but for now, the positives in this teen are somewhat predominant subsequent to his Manchester move.
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