Who is Harry Amass? Man Utd's ready-made heir to Luke Shaw
It was hardly an enjoyable experience for Manchester United, getting beaten 2-1 in 90 minutes to Premier League rivals Arsenal on Saturday night. But the first-half display from Harry Amass would have been something of a silver lining.
At just 17 years old, Amass is widely considered among the scouting circuit to be the next best English left-back. Indeed, he featured in just 45 minutes for Man Utd in Los Angeles, but it was enough to show what he is capable of.
The teenager earned an 87% pass success rate, along with four passes into the final third and three recoveries. But away from hard cold numbers, it was clear to see that Amass operates as very much the modern fullback. The defender was asked on occasion to come inside and become inverted when United were out of possession.
Amass took up his role with the maturity and guile that normally evades footballers at such a young age. On one notable occasion, he was seen managing to beat the opposition press that pushed up to the centre circle. Despite two Gunners players bearing down on Amass, he was able to, with the ball at his feet, glide between the pair and into the attacking third, all while breaking the front line.
Harry Amass Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?
According to FootballTransfers’ Player Valuation Model, Amass has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €800k.
Given his young age, there is no data about his value in previous seasons.
Harry Amass - what does he bring to the table?
Amass emerged from the renowned Watford academy. He had some of the biggest clubs hoping for him to sign, but the teenager rejected advances from Chelsea and Manchester City and decided to join the Old Trafford club instead.
The 2022/23 season marked Amass's debut with the U18 squad at Watford. He was remarkably included in the Hornets’ first-team squad, aged just 15. Amass possesses great physical strength as well as blistering pace and impressive stamina.
He can cover yards of space to retrieve the ball when the opposition gets in behind and can make smart runs up the wing from a defensive position. From here, he can often make a high volume of deep completions with pinpoint crossing from his formidable left-foot. Amass’ defensive ability is something that will be ironed out with time.
He can sometimes be caught out, especially against experienced attackers. But such a skill set is normally developed at a later age. His modest height can be a disadvantage against taller opponents, too. But Amass’ stocky build means that physical duels are still challenging for opponents in ground duels. Amass is among the best young talents out there.
Though he was not in the role at the time, it’s a transfer Dan Ashworth would have been proud of. The Man Utd academy looks as though it's managed to seal the move of Chido Obi-Martin thanks to the former Newcastle sporting director, but a player like Amass falls into his repertoire as well.
Luke Shaw is the first-choice at left-back for Man Utd, but injuries have plagued the England international, along with second-choice Tyrell Malacia who has only made 22 league appearances since joining from Feyenoord in the summer of 2022.
As with every young talent, Amass will need to be nurtured carefully - not rushed to the first team and handed heaps of pressure. But he couldn’t find a better coach than Erik ten Hag to ensure that his growth is done correctly. Last season Kobbie Mainoo broke through into the first team, and Alejandro Garnacho the season before that. It could be that Amass is the next Man Utd academy graduate to find minutes under the Dutchman.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers.
