Liverpool (England)
s young talent Ethan Ennis took the plunge and passed up a new contract offered by the club and chose between Manchester United and Chelsea to play alongside arch-rivals the Red Devils.
At just 16 years of age, he also has the ability to play as a second striker as a right-footed midfielder. Born on December 11, 2004, Ennis stands at 178cm and has become one of Liverpool's most popular young players. In last season's Youth FA Cup, he scored three goals on his own to help Liverpool's under-19 youth team reach the final, including eliminating Manchester United's youth team. However, Liverpool missed out on the title after losing 1-2 to Aston Villa in the final. In the Premier League Under-18 Youth League, Ennis made seven appearances, scoring two goals and registering one assist.
Now he has become one of the few players to move directly from Liverpool to United, despite being in the youth system, and is enough to cause outrage amongst the Anfield fans.
The Liverpool Echo is reporting that Ennis also had contact with Manchester United and Chelsea while discussing a new contract. Ennis did visit Chelsea's Cobham training base in London earlier this month, but ultimately chose United. He rejected Liverpool's offer and announced on social media that he had become a United player.
On his Instagram account, Ennis is seen standing under the iconic coach's box at Old Trafford holding the Manchester United No. 7 shirt with his name on it. He was also photographed wearing United's No. 9 kit, a number he also used to wear when he was in Liverpool's youth team, and perhaps a number he prefers.
Ennis wrote: I am very pleased to announce that I have signed to join Manchester United. Thank you for this opportunity and I can't wait to get started.
Historically, only nine players have made a direct transfer between Manchester United and Liverpool, with the most recent occurring in 1964 when Phil Chisnall joined Liverpool from Manchester United for a £25,000 transfer fee. And the last player to make a direct transfer from Liverpool to Manchester United was in November 1938 for Allenby Chelton.
In the era of the English Premier League, England back Paul Ince has played for Manchester United and Liverpool, but joined the world of Milan in the middle, not a direct transfer. The Argentine defender Heinze, who has been honored as Manchester United's best of the season, tried to join Liverpool when he returned, triggering a hot debate, but the Red Devils were firmly against it, and he ultimately had to go as far as La Liga to join Real Madrid.
United youth players from Spain, Marc Jurado and Alejandro Garnacho, have both welcomed Ennis. Interestingly, there is also a striker from another arch-rival in United's Under-18 youth team, Charlie McNeil, who was the league's top scorer last season.
Last season, Manchester United led for a while, but ended up second in the North Division by one point, unfortunately failing to win the title. Blue Moon, on the other hand, beat South Division table-toppers Fulham in the final to claim the overall title. In the new season, Ennis and his new United teammates will be back in action, striving for the league title and hoping to go further in the Youth FA Cup. The last time the Little Red Devils won the FA Cup was in 2011 when Pogba, Lingard and Ravel Morrison led the way. But it won't be easy for United's young strikers to stand out, with Solskjaer's first-team squad featuring Rashford, 23, Sancho, 22, and Mason Greenwood, who is under 20, all still very young.
