Man United
There may still be question marks over the future of manager Erik ten Hag but behind the scenes at Manchester United, work is already underway ahead of a critical summer transfer window.
Mail Sport revealed in this week’s Man United Confidential column that a scout from United was in Porto Alegre last week to run the rule over Gremio left winger Gustavo Nunes, one of the latest rising stars to come out of Brazil.
Gustavinho, as he has been affectionately nicknamed by Gremio fans, only made his senior debut for the club in February but has already attracted interest from Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
United are said to be putting greater focus on emerging South American talent and in 18-year-old Nunes they have pinpointed a player that many see as the future of the Brazilian national team, alongside Real Madrid-bound Endrick.
Here is all you need to know about Gremio’s young superstar…
Gremio winger Gustavo Nunes (left) is generating interest from multiple Premier League sides
WHO IS HE?
Born in São Vicente do Sul, a municipality of Rio between Santos and Praia Grande, Nunes has had a ball at his feet for as long as he can remember.
In his early years he played both futsal, at the Ocian Praia Club, and games of footvolley on the beaches along the São Paulo coast.
His dribbling and close control has dazzled during his youth days but he almost turned his back on football entirely at the age of 16 following the untimely death of his mother, Graziela.
The left-sided winger (left) almost turned his back on football when his mum died in 2021
‘I did think about giving up,’ he told Globo.
‘I no longer saw any motivation to continue playing football. But at the same time that this gave me triggers to give up, I thought about continuing for her, to tell our story together.’
The teenager decided to pursue his footballing dream and made the move to Gremio, changing his name from Gomes to Nunes, the family name of his mother, in a bid to carry her with him out on the pitch.
WHAT’S HIS PLAYING STYLE?
He makes no secret that Neymar is a huge inspiration to him – copying his celebration and tagging him in his recent Instagram post was a not-so-subtle giveaway.
Like Neymar, Nunes likes to operate from the left side of the attack, with speed and dribbling two of his best assets.
His close control has been honed from his futsal days and continually playing above his age group has helped develop him physically so that he does not look out of place in the first team now.
Nunes is heavily inspired by Neymar and has previously mimicked his goal celebrations
Nunes scored his first Gremio goal recent when he fired in the Campeonato Gaucho tournament, helping to secure a 5-1 win over Santa Cruz.
His skill level is very high, again honed from his futsal and footvolley days where there is a greater emphasis on individual ability in tight spaces, and fans speak of the excitement he generates.
He recently signed a new contract with a big salary increase, with reports in Brazil claiming Gremio put an £80million release clause in his new contract – which runs until 2028 – as a sign to interested clubs of how valuable he is already.
WHAT’S BEEN SAID ABOUT HIM?
‘Speed has always been his strong point,’ Matheus Cassita, the teenager’s coach at Ocian in their U14 and U16 teams, told GZH.
‘But he really liked space, being forward and needing to adapt to the short space of futsal. It is really pleasing to see him become a professional now.’
Marcos Alves, another of his youth coaches while he played at the Praia Grande club, said: ‘He was always very fast, very agile in changing direction.
‘Seeing him performing now is not a surprise, it just validates what we saw here.’
Speed is one of his biggest strengths, while he is also one of the best young dribblers in Brazil
Brazilian journalist Filipe Guedes also gave an insight into his character.
‘He isn’t a greedy player, always looking for other players that have better conditions to shoot, which is impressive, because most of young wingers usually take many wrong decisions on pitch,’ he told United In Focus.
‘Reports suggests that he is already being watched by Dorival, Brazil’s coach.’
Other mentors and observers of his game have praised his temperament and his ability not to feel pressure, despite his tender age and the huge expectations already placed upon him.
