Manchester United just pried a prospect straight out of Liverpool’s youth academy — and the timing makes it sting a little more for fans on Merseyside.
Vincent Joseph, a 16-year-old striker who has been turning heads in England’s U16 setup, is set to leave Liverpool and sign a scholarship deal with United, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke. The move flips the usual script: Liverpool rarely loses its best young talent to its biggest rival.
O’Rourke posted on X that Joseph “is set to leave Anfield to join Manchester United after agreeing a scholarship deal at Old Trafford.” The teenager, who plays as a physically imposing No. 9, made two appearances in the U18 Premier League last season and scored three goals. That’s a goal every 60 minutes or so — not bad for a kid who just turned 16.
United beat Bayern Munich and Dortmund for the teenager
This wasn’t a quiet pickup. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund — two clubs famous for developing young talent — had sent scouts multiple times to watch Joseph. Both Bundesliga sides were in the mix. But United moved first and got the deal done.
The Red Devils have been aggressive in recruiting from Liverpool’s academy lately. They’re also reportedly in contact with Liverpool youth winger Isaac Konde, per a separate report. United’s recruitment team has already reached out to Konde’s representatives.
Liverpool also losing out in the transfer market to United
It’s not just young players. United has reportedly edged Liverpool in the chase for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes — a Portuguese prospect Liverpool had “genuine interest” in, according to reports covered by The Peoples Person. Fernandes prefers a move to Old Trafford, and United is willing to spend more than Liverpool to land him.
So Liverpool is getting squeezed on two fronts: losing an academy kid they’d have liked to keep, and missing out on a midfielder they were tracking. That’s a rough combination.
Joseph’s move isn’t official yet — scholarship deals can fall through — but all signs point to him finishing his youth development in Manchester rather than Liverpool. For a club that prides itself on its academy pipeline, that’s a quiet gut punch.
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