Arnau Puigmal

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Selamat datang pemain muda rekrutan terbaru Manchester United !!!

Who is Arnau Puigmal? All you need to know about Manchester United's latest young signing

The 16-year-old arrives at Old Trafford having confirmed his move on Instagram

Manchester United have added another youngster to their ranks by signing Arnau Puigmal from Espanyol.

The 16-year-old arrives at Old Trafford having confirmed his move on Instagram.

An exciting midfielder and Spanish youth international, Puigmal becomes the latest wonderkid to ply his trade with the Red Devils.

Puigmal wrote: "Very happy and proud to announce that I am a new Manchester United player, a dream come true. It's time to work, come on Red Devils!"

So - who is he? And how did his signing come about?

Here's all you need to know...

Who is Arnau Puigmal?



Puigmal is a Spanish youngster who joins Manchester United from Espanyol.

He has previously represented his country at youth level on the international stage.

Last season he played for Espanyol's Cadete A side, where he was spotted by United scouts.

He had been in the Espanyol academy since 2010 after joining from Sant Cugat, north-west of Barcelona.

Puigmal typically plays in central midfield and is renowned as strong and confident on the ball, as well as being adept at retaining possession and having an eye for goal.

He won the most valuable player of the tournament award at the Mediterranean International Cup, where he scored in the final against Barcelona.

How did his signing come about?



He actually signed his United contract in July with the rest of the club's new academy recruits, but has only just received international clearance.

Puigmal shared a snap on his Instagram page alongside Under-18s coach Kieran McKenna and United legend Andy Cole.

He joins Aliou Traore from Paris Saint-Germain and Di'Shon Bernard from Chelsea as new recruits to the youth ranks.

www.mirror.co.uk

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Arnau Puigmal berpose dengan keluarganya sesaat setelah resmi menandatangani kontrak dengan Manchester United

[rio vander vidic]

Jangan sampe kaya pique ya kiddo..hehe
Jarang reguler di united malah moncer di barca..hehe..
Bakal main sama tatith cong ga nih ya dia? Hehe

[zudomiriku]

Manchester United beat Barcelona to sign teenager Arnau Puigmal... so how good is the former Espanyol starlet?

* Manchester United announced the signing of Arnau Puigmal on Monday
* Barcelona tried to lure Puigmal from neighbours Espanyol but failed
* Espanyol were confident he would be a first team regular in next two years

Manchester United expect big things of 16-year-old midfield talent Arnau Puigmal.

Here, Sportsmail's man in Spain PETE JENSON gives you the run down on the Spain Under 18 star who Jose Mourinho has swiped from beneath the noses of Barcelona.


Arnau Puigmal (pictured with Kieran McKenna and Andy Cole) has joined Manchester United

Previous clubs

He started standing out at local team San Cugat and in 2010 still aged 10 he was signed by Espanyol.

He played there until Cadete A level (their Under 16s) until United signed him in July. The deal was announced this week after international clearance was confirmed.

And did Barcelona really want him?

He is considered one of Spain's best midfielders in his age group. They would love to have taken him off of city neighbours Espanyol especially after seeing Manchester City sign Eric Garcia from La Masia this year – a deal done by former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol.

But United's greater financial clout meant they won the battle for his signature. Despite hailing from Catalonia and Barca wanting him Puigmal is already showing signs that his game might suit the Premier League more than La Liga.


The midfielder was named most valuable player at the Mediterranean International Cup. Puigmal was being chased by Espanyol's neighbours but decided to join Manchester United

Key characteristics

He's physical; he makes intelligent runs from deep and scores goals with both feet. United also like the winner's personality. Espanyol only lost the Catalan League on goal difference to Barcelona on the last day of the season back in May.

He was a key reason why they took it to the wire against Barca who always have superior resources even at Under 16 level.

Biggest moment so far

He was the star of this year's Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) as Espanyol knocked out Manchester United and went on to beat Barcelona in the final with Puigmal scoring.

The MIC is a big deal in Spain with Lionel Messi, Sergi Busquets and Cesc Fabregas all having played in it. Barcelona tend to dominate having won it 15 times but Espanyol got the better of them largely thanks to their No 8, Puigmal.

He opened the scoring and they were heading for victory. Barcelona equalised with two minutes left but Espanyol won on penalties and Puigmal won man of the match and player of the tournament.

What was his goal like?

It was a very nice right-footed finish into the far corner from the edge of the area after receiving a low cross from the right.

The technique in the execution was high quality and the run to the edge of the box was cleverly timed.

And against United how did he play?

His run from the halfway and pass set up the third goal. Throughout the tournament he showed signs of a maturity beyond his years.

Insiders at Espanyol say if he had stayed he would have been fast-tracked to the first team in two or three years.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4854710/Who-Manchester-United-summer-signing-Arnau-Puigmal.html

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PUIGMAL PRACTISING HIS SET-PIECES

Manchester United's Under-18s new boy Arnau Puigmal is working hard at becoming a set-piece expert.

The 16-year-old finalised a move from Espanyol when the paperwork was processed last month and scored a beautiful free-kick on his debut against Newcastle United. It is a string to the midfielder's bow, as he has shown with Spain's youth teams and will benefit Kieran McKenna's exciting side as the campaign unfolds.

"Free-kicks are something he likes practising," added McKenna told ManUtd.com. "He takes them for his national team quite a bit and likes to practise shooting after, before and during training! He likes to hit the back of the net, especially from that sort of range. It's something he'll keep working on to try to become a real specialist on set-pieces from all areas."

Certainly, the debut against Newcastle was a superb start for Puigmal, who followed it up by helping the Reds earn a 1-1 draw at Everton's Finch Farm last weekend.

"We are really pleased with him," added McKenna. "I think it was a big challenge to come in to a game like that as Newcastle are a physical, strong team who were experienced with a lot of second years.

"He is still a young guy, he's just turned 16 this year, and adapted really well to the physical side of the game. He showed a lot of good things technically and obviously popped up with a great goal as well. He could not have got off to a much better start.

"I'm sure he would have liked us to have seen out the game and made that goal the winner but it wasn't to be. However, he's off and running now and I'm sure he's looking forward to getting stuck into more games."

WHO IS ARNAU PUIGMAL?

The Spanish talent joined recently after impressing United scouts and staff with his display against the Reds in last term's Med Cup tournament. Still only 16, he is settling into life in Manchester and the pre-season training camp in Austria helped him bond with his new colleagues. His style has drawn comparisons with Andreas Pereira, who is currently on loan at Valencia, and he is one to keep an eye on in 2017/18.

www.manutd.com

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UNITED PROSPECT PUIGMAL SIGNS PRO CONTRACT

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.

www.manutd.com

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PUIGMAL OUTLINES MAIN DIFFERENCE IN ENGLAND

Arnau Puigmal has outlined the main difference between football in England and Spain as he looks to settle at Manchester United.

The recent recruit from Espanyol signed his first professional contract at the Aon Training Complex recently, alongside Head of Academy Nicky Butt and in front of his proud family.

With his English coming along nicely, the 17-year-old midfielder shares the same ambition as all of the Academy youngsters - breaking through into the Reds' senior side - and is aware of the size and history of the club.

"It's just all about hard work and getting better as a player," Puigmal told ManUtd.com in his first interview since joining the club. "I think, in the next five years, it would be a dream if I can become a professional player in the Manchester United first team. That is my aim and obviously it would be a wish come true.

"My mum was the first person to tell me about United because they spoke with her and it was the best moment in my life to come here. It is a big club - it's enormous!

"I knew that United is the biggest club in England - and has been big for the last 100 years or more! I know of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs - there are too many players to name. Now I like Paul Pogba - I'm not that like him but we are midfielders and he is very good."

Puigmal's new team-mates have helped him adapt to life at his new club, as did a summer training camp in Austria, where he could bond with the rest of Kieran McKenna's Under-18s squad.

"It was nice meeting the team and being introduced to them," he said. "They are very good guys and nice people. It's different in England - the weather is bad! [laughs] No, seriously, there are many good things to enjoy here.

"I think the biggest difference is definitely the fact the game is so physical. People here work intensely in the gym and that's not always the case in Spain. It's different but that's good. It helps the players to get bigger and stronger.

"I want that too and I think my aim is getting better as a player. Not only playing, playing, playing but improving as a player here."

Puigmal regularly takes on dead-ball situations and wasted no time in endearing himself to United's youth followers with a debut goal from a free-kick against Newcastle United last year.

"I take free-kicks," he concludes. "I practise them a lot. I try to practise them two or three days a week, from different positions. I try to practise all the set-pieces in general, corners as well and not only free-kicks."

Puigmal is back from international duty, the teenager scored one of the goals in Spain's impressive 2-0 win over Italy at Under-17 level, and could be involved in the Under-18s' live MUTV clash with Derby County on Saturday.

www.manutd.com