Manchester United have been linked to Boca Juniors wonderkid Tomas Aranda, and his impressive rise is continuing.
At the start of 2026, Tomas Aranda had not even made his first team debut for Boca Juniors. Now he is starting games for the club in the Copa Libertadores.
Earlier this week, El Intransigente reported that Manchester United and Chelsea are both monitoring the teenager with a view to a summer move.
Boca are keen to keep the attacking midfielder, who is under contract at the club until 2029. Their coach’s latest comments underline why.
Tomas Aranda playing for Boca Juniors
Photo by Geraldo Caso Bizama/Getty Images
Tomas Aranda praised after recent performance
Boca named Tomas Aranda as a starter in their group stage game away to Chilean side Universidad Catolica.
Aranda played 90 minutes in the 2-1 victory, making 61 touches in total. While he did not score or assist, he had a major impact.
The teenager produced a backheel pass that set up the assist. Argentine newspaper Ole wrote: “He played his first Libertadores match as if he had ten editions under his belt.”
His performance was exactly what manager Claudio Ubeda wanted to see.
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Speaking to a press conference, Ubeda initially tried to urge calm over Aranda.
“I’m going to repeat what I said at the last press conference. What we always try to do with kids making their debuts like this is to protect them, not to overhype them.”
But then he offered a quite stunning contradiction, commenting: “I hope he can be the best player in the world.”
He added: “He’s a player who can unbalance defenses, works hard, and is good in one-on-one situations. We’re going to support him so he can continue to develop.”
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Aranda has trained with Argentina
Tomas Aranda was named in the Argentina under-20 squad during the recent international break.
He was then invited to train with the senior squad, getting a chance to share a pitch with Lionel Messi and co.
Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez missed the camp due to injury.
But it might not be long until they are playing together in the future at international level. If his progress keeps up, that could lead to a club level pairing too.
Aranda is already playing alongside two former United stars, Ander Herrera and Edinson Cavani are part of the current Boca Juniors squad.
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