Why Man Utd have actually found the new Ronaldo with Lucas Moura

Plenty of players are often touted as the new Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona from a young age and fail to get anywhere near these dizzy heights.

But if Manchester United are successful in their chase of Lucas Moura, than a comparison to Ronaldo may at last be justified.

When Ronaldo was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson, he was a very raw talent with unbelievable ball skills, but too often selfish and lacking in a consistent end product.

It took Ronaldo three seasons, but his undoubted talent eventually came through, as Sir Alex harnessed the talent and helped the Portuguese international develop more of a team ethos.

Moura is much the same as Ronaldo was at a similar age, with countless tricks and an ability to beat a player at will.

Meanwhile, he has that extra gear of pace on par with the likes of Theo Walcott that Ronaldo possibly lacks.

This will make him an even bigger threat than Ronaldo on the counter attack and he will have Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney as leading candidates to supply him with the killer passes.

Furthermore, with Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young already fighting for the two wide positions, there would be no immediate rush to thrust Moura into the first team and he would have some ideal teammates to learn from in training.

Despite reports from the Daily Mirror that the Red Devils have already agreed a £26m deal with Sao Paolo for the 19-year-old, other reports suggest that Sir Alex has currently just disclosed his interest.

Although unlikely to start, Moura could well have a big impact on Brazil’s chances of winning Olympic football gold, with his pace and directness enhancing his chances of being introduced as a late substitute.

Manchester United’s odds are 5/2 to win the Premier League this season, with Brazil 6/4 to win the gold in London in the Olympics odds.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.