Manchester United seem to have lost one of their young transfer targets in Vitesse’s Marco van Ginkel, as the Dutch star is close on a move to United’s arch rivals Chelsea, after he has been reassured of regular football at Stamford Bridge.

The 20-year old has been impressing scouts from the elite clubs around Europe, and he is in the squad to represent the Dutch side in the FIFA Under-21 World Cup held in Israel.

However, if he is to have the chance to make the World Cup squad for the senior side next year in Brazil, he needs to be playing on a regular basis this season. Talented as he is, the youngster will have a hard time at any of the biggest clubs in Europe, as these clubs are already full of senior internationals playing week-in-week-out. Hence, ideally, van Ginkel must look for a club with a high stature, but in a stage of redevelopment, and hence Chelsea fits the bill.

Talking about his career, the player has been heavily influenced by his current club, who have guided him through his early childhood, to become a versatile midfielder. Van Ginkel arrived at Vitesse at the age of 7, and slowly developed himself into a young sensation. The Dutch side were quick to recognize his talent, and ensured that he stayed and played on a regular basis with the youth squad to nurture his skills. The results of 8 years of hard work were there to see, and van Gikel signed his first professional contract with the club he grew up with. He then began playing regularly for the club, scoring multiple goals in the process.

Due to his scoring spree, the club realized that van Ginkel had matured into a box-to-box midfielder, who would be one of the players who covered the maximum distance during a match. At 6ft 1in, van Ginkel possessed an asset, which was his height, and which enabled him to get results in the box more often than not, creating goal scoring opportunities both with his feet, and his head.

Van Ginkel’s options for next season include Chelsea, United and Ajax, and a decision should be made after the current Championship in Israel.