Brazilian wonderkid Endrick’s father reveals his hero is Manchester United star

Manchester United could well hold a major advantage over some of their rivals as the world’s top clubs fight it out for Brazilian wonderkid Endrick.

The 15-year-old has become one of the most-talked about teenagers in football in recent weeks, with performances for Palmeiras catching the attention of Europe’s elite.

A video of Endrick scoring a spectacular overhead kick went viral last month, and has sent the rumour mill into overdrive as to who may be able to acquire the teenager’s services.

United are among those to have been mentioned, although they will face some strong competition if recent reports are anything to go by, with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea also touted.

But United might well have an ace up their sleeve, with Endrick’s father Douglas revealing the teen idolises Old Trafford hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

“His idol is Cristiano Ronaldo,” Douglas said in comments carried by Marca.

“At the age of 15, children usually fall in love with Neymar or [Lionel] Messi. His friends at Palmeiras said that his idol is a robot, that he’s a focused professional obsessed with breaking records.

“But Cristiano is his reference and he wants to make history like him. On the field he’s completely focused, he doesn’t give up the ball and gives himself 110 per cent.

“He’s a machine. When he scores a goal he wants two. When he scores two he wants three. That’s his thing, he’s a boy who wants to be challenged.”

Although United may hold an advantage, they would have to wait before they made any attempts to sign Endrick.

The teenager isn’t legally allowed to leave Brazil until he turns 18, meaning clubs will have to wait until the summer of 2024 to try and secure his services, but the race is firmly on.