Newport County has completed the signing of promising young Manchester United defender Habeeb Ogunneye on a season-long loan, subject to EFL and international clearance.
The pacey 19-year-old right back, who has been at Old Trafford since the age of five, is expected to figure in tonight’s (Tuesday) pre-season friendly at Weston-super-Mare’s Optima Stadium (7.15pm).
Born in London, Ogunneye made the breakthrough into the club’s successful Under-18s side in 2021-22 at the age of just 15.
He went on to gain further experience in Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy, UEFA Youth League and the FA Youth Cup, together with an international cap with England Under-17s.
His first call-up to the senior Manchester United squad came in February 2024 when he was on the bench for the Emirates FA Cup fifth-round tie againstNottingham Forest under manager Erik ten Hag. He was also named among the substitutes for the Reds' FA Cup semi-final against Coventry at Wembley.
Having worked with Ogunneye at Old Trafford as Under-21s coach, Newport County boss Dave Hughes was delighted with the acquisition: “I’m really pleased to get Habeeb on board,’’ he said.
“We're also delighted that Manchester United have trusted us to help develop him and add to his progress on the next stage of his journey.
“I obviously worked with him for a couple of years at Manchester United. I know he's a good character; a good young professional in the way he conducts himself and goes about his work on a daily basis. He's going to be an excellent addition to the squad and will certainly increase the competition.
“He's got loads of attributes and fits into the profile of what we've got in the squad - young, hungry, dynamic and really keen to improve. He's got a good training mentality, which is important, and a willingness to push himself and challenge himself every day.
“First team football will be another challenge for him, but I think he'll be another player our supporters will all really like.’’
