There may still be question marks over the future of manager Erik ten Hag but behind the scenes at Manchester United, work is already underway ahead of a critical summer transfer window.
Mail Sport revealed in this week’s Man United Confidential column that a scout from United was in Porto Alegre last week to run the rule over Gremio left winger Gustavo Nunes, one of the latest rising stars to come out of Brazil.
Gustavinho, as he has been affectionately nicknamed by Gremio fans, only made his senior debut for the club in February but has already attracted interest from Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
United are said to be putting greater focus on emerging South American talent and in 18-year-old Nunes they have pinpointed a player that many see as the future of the Brazilian national team, alongside Real Madrid-bound Endrick.
Here is all you need to know about Gremio’s young superstar…
Gremio winger Gustavo Nunes (left) is generating interest from multiple Premier League sides
WHO IS HE?
Born in São Vicente do Sul, a municipality of Rio between Santos and Praia Grande, Nunes has had a ball at his feet for as long as he can remember.
In his early years he played both futsal, at the Ocian Praia Club, and games of footvolley on the beaches along the São Paulo coast.
His dribbling and close control has dazzled during his youth days but he almost turned his back on football entirely at the age of 16 following the untimely death of his mother, Graziela.
The left-sided winger (left) almost turned his back on football when his mum died in 2021
‘I did think about giving up,’ he told Globo.
‘I no longer saw any motivation to continue playing football. But at the same time that this gave me triggers to give up, I thought about continuing for her, to tell our story together.’
The teenager decided to pursue his footballing dream and made the move to Gremio, changing his name from Gomes to Nunes, the family name of his mother, in a bid to carry her with him out on the pitch.
WHAT’S HIS PLAYING STYLE?
He makes no secret that Neymar is a huge inspiration to him – copying his celebration and tagging him in his recent Instagram post was a not-so-subtle giveaway.
Like Neymar, Nunes likes to operate from the left side of the attack, with speed and dribbling two of his best assets.
His close control has been honed from his futsal days and continually playing above his age group has helped develop…