As Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal spoke of his desire to 'find balance' in the Red Devils midfield, Old Trafford scouts were in Portugal Saturday evening to watch Sporting Lisbon draw 1-1 away to Belenenses.
Of course we can't be sure exactly who the Manchester clubs talent spotters were watching specifically, but you'd put your money on it being 22-year-old William Carvalho, who coincidentally was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer.
United were joined by a host of other European clubs on their scouting mission, including Lille, Villarreal, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Tottenham, although their attention may have been focused elsewhere.
Carvalho was touted for big things last season but question marks have since been raised over the youngsters progress at Sporting. After a slow start to the season the midfielder is beginning to reach the heights that brought him such acclaim, putting in a good solid performance against Primeira Liga opponents Belenenses.
A notable mention goes to Belenenses 21-year-old midfielder Fabio Sturgeon, who also played well during the 1-1 stalemate. Sturgeon has an English father and as a consequence has already seen speculation linking him to English club sides. He is eligible to play for England and Portugal at international level, although he has already appeared for Portugal at U20 & U21 level.
Source: DSG
