Manchester United is delighted to announce that young midfielder Arnau Puigmal has signed his first professional contract at the club.
The Under-18s prospect joined the Reds in 2017 and hit the ground running, scoring on his debut with a superb free-kick during a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United at The Cliff back in September.
Formerly with Espanyol, the Spain youth international celebrated his 17th birthday this week and is now determined to progress throughout the second half of the 2017/18 campaign.
Head of Academy Nicky Butt told ManUtd.com: “Arnau has impressed us all since he came to the club this season. He has a great attitude to learn and he has quickly picked up English, which will be a great help to him going forward. It is clear to see that he has all the attributes to develop into a top player and have a fine future ahead of him.”
ANOTHER CONTRACT FINALISED
Puigmal is the fourth Under-18s prospect to sign a professional contract in recent months, following this week's announcement that France youth international Aliou Traore has inked his first deal. Homegrown products Aidan Barlow and Angel Gomes both put pen-to-paper in December.
The ambition for them all is to graduate into United's first team, following in the accomplished footsteps of current senior squad members Joel Pereira, Axel Tuanzebe, Scott McTominay, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford.
WATCH THE UNDER-18S IN ACTION
The opening game of 2018 for Kieran McKenna's side is against Sunderland this coming Saturday and MUTV subscribers can watch the match live from 12:30 GMT. Visit MUTV.com to subscribe.