An excited Brenden Aaronson has nothing but "respect" for the 14-year-old Manchester City-bound Cavan Sullivan.
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Sullivan will head to City when he turns 18Signed largest Homegrown deal in USA historyFifth youngest signing for an MLS senior teamWHAT HAPPENED?
Earlier in May, in a landmark move for Major League Soccer (MLS), Sullivan signed the largest Homegrown deal in the league's history with the Philadelphia Union. The contract includes a significant clause: upon turning 18, Sullivan will transfer to English giants Manchester City, for a transfer fee that could reach up to $5 million (£4m/€4.6m).
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Alongside City, Germany's Borussia Dortmund, known for its excellent track record in developing young players, showed strong interest. Currently, the plan is for him to gain professional experience at Subaru Park until he is ready to take on the challenges of the Premier League.
WHAT AARONSON SAID
Aaronson, who played for Union Berlin on a loan deal from Leeds United in the 2023-24 season, expressed his admiration for Sullivan, who is being touted as the planet's best 14-year-old talent.
“I haven’t seen him play because he’s so much younger than me, but I’ve heard about how much of a superstar he’s going to be,” Aaronson told “It’s really great for U.S. soccer, and it’s great for the Philadelphia Union. To see a 14-year-old signing professionally is definitely something that we don’t see very often in America. I mean, they’re young nowadays, but not that young. So it’s amazing to see.
"I give him full credit because he seems like a confident kid. He seems like he believes in himself, and he’s not afraid to do things. And I respect that because that’s what you need at that age. I can see a lot of things about his game that will help in the future for sure.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Sullivan is the fifth-youngest signing to an MLS first team in history. If he makes his first-team debut for the Union in the Leagues Cup game against Charlotte FC on July 27, he will break Freddy Adu’s record as the youngest player to appear in an MLS game by two days. This potential milestone highlights the rapid trajectory of Sullivan's career and the high hopes placed on his shoulders.