Cavan Sullivan, the 17-year-old American who is due to join Manchester City next year, has credited new Manchester United boss Mauricio Pochettino with taking him “under his wing” since handing him his USA debut.
It is a slightly awkward one for United fans. The coach they have just hired to rescue their season has spent the last few months helping to shape a teenager who already has his future agreed at the Etihad.
Sullivan has agreed a move to Manchester City and is set to arrive once he turns 18, after City won the race to sign him from Philadelphia Union. He only turned 17 in September, and his season in MLS has been nothing short of remarkable.
What did Cavan Sullivan say about Pochettino?
Pochettino gave the midfielder his first senior cap in September, and Sullivan, speaking while on international duty with the United States, made it clear how much the Argentine has meant to him.
He said: “Mauricio has taken me under his wing in the most tremendous way possible. I was a young guy coming in and he told me to just play free and be myself and have confidence in my ability.”
That freedom came with no special treatment, though. Sullivan added: “But that didn’t mean I was let off the hook or that the standard was lower for me. That standard remained the same for everybody in the camp, in training and every game.”
He also spoke warmly about the man himself: “I am someone who really appreciates the directness on the field but also the warmth and the hugs. He is a really personable guy off the field. It just works for us and everyone loves him as a guy.”
A teenager on the MVP shortlist with Messi
The numbers explain why City moved early. Sullivan has been named one of five finalists for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, alongside Lionel Messi, Evander, Guilherme and Hany Mukhtar. He is the first teenager ever to make the MVP shortlist.
He is also a finalist for MLS Young Player of the Year, with Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti the other two names, which makes him one of only two players in the league up for more than one of this year’s awards.
His regular season brought 9 goals and 14 assists. Those 23 goal contributions are a new single-season MLS record for a teenager, and the Union Academy product was also named MLS Player of the Month for September.
Youngest scorer in USA history
The international story has moved just as fast. Sullivan became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the US men’s national team when he scored in a 3-0 win over Mexico on 3 October, at 17 years and five days old.
He is back in the squad for the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, played over two legs on 14 and 17 November, which will be Pochettino’s last games in charge of the USA before he starts at United on 18 November.
Why this matters for Man City
A few weeks ago there was talk of Barcelona waiting for City’s pre-agreed Sullivan deal to fall apart because of the financial rules verdict. Nothing in his latest comments suggests his head has been turned, and every week he spends shining in MLS and for his country makes the deal look better value.
Pochettino’s move to Old Trafford also has a knock-on effect for the USA job itself, with US Soccer lining up Pep Guardiola as their top target to replace him. If that ever happened, City’s next big midfield prospect would be playing for the man who built the modern Etihad.
City have made a habit of tying down their best young talent early, as they are trying to do with their 18-year-old Coventry loanee, and Sullivan is the most high-profile of the lot.
Verdict: Sullivan is ready for the Etihad step
The best thing about these comments is not the praise for Pochettino. It is the bit about standards. A 17-year-old who enjoys being held to the same level as senior internationals, and who responds with record-breaking numbers, is exactly the kind of character who copes with the jump to the Premier League.
United fans may be wishing their new boss had a bit more say over where Sullivan ends up. For City, the hard part is already done. They just need to keep the deal on track until he turns 18.
