Manchester United target Rico Browne has agreed new deal at Birmingham City | OneFootball

Manchester United target Rico Browne seems set to stay at Birmingham City for the foreseeable future.

The Red Devils have suffered immense injuries to the backline and have played a scarcely believable 31 different combinations of defenders this season.

The silver lining has been the rise of youngster Willy Kambwala but there is no hiding from United’s glaring weaknesses.

Furthermore, in another terrifying statistic, no team in 2024 in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more shots on goal than Erik ten Hag’s outfit.

Therefore, United have been linked to a huge number of centre backs including Jarrad Branthwaite, Gleison Bremer and Jean-Clair Todibo.

However, one less well-known name was that of Birmingham City’s young talent, Rico Browne.

There was a report this time last year that United were eagerly tracking the young defender but it seems all of this has been in vain.

Football Insider‘s sources have told them that “Birmingham City defender Rico Browne has agreed the terms of a new contract”.

“It is believed that Browne, 20, will extend his stay at St Andrew’s and pen new terms with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2024”.

“The centre-back previously had trials at Premier League sides but has committed his future to the club after exceptional spells in the Blues’ youth ranks and out on loan”.

Browne is currently out on loan at sixth-tier side Rushall Olympic in the National League North, where he has started 17 games.

The youngster is clearly nowhere near ready to play at the highest level if he is in the sixth division at 20 years old but it will be another blow for the Red Devils.

Clearly the Old Trafford side are keeping a keen eye on some of European football’s best young talents as they have been linked with numerous players such as Chris Rigg, Archie Gray and Francesco Camarda.

However, it seems United have missed out on every single one of these targets and Browne is just another name to add to the list.

In the interest of fairness though, it is very hard for a club the size of United to sensibly offer a path to the first team for most youngsters unless they are already playing at near to the highest level. In addition, United will cast their nets high and wide to find talent, meaning they will miss out on many targets in the hope of catching a few.

Attracting young talent is hardly a problem as of late when the incredible success of the under 18s is factored in, with exciting talents like Shea Lacey, Ethan Wheatley, Harry Amass and Amir Ibragimov to name a few, currently plying their trade at the club.

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