Kees Smit: Pedri 2.0 tells Man United how to win his red-hot race

Manchester United have received a clear set of instructions from their top midfield target Kees Smit, with the 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar prodigy declaring that guaranteed playing time will shape his next career move. Speaking to Ziggo Sport after another eye-catching Eredivisie outing, the Dutchman—hailed by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman as “the next Pedri”—offered suitors a concise transfer brief: “Basically, I just want to play a lot. That is important to me.”

United, bracing for a summer overhaul at the base of midfield, have identified Smit as a low-cost, high-upside option to slot alongside any marquee arrivals INEOS fund to replace the ageing Casemiro. With Manuel Ugarte reportedly unsettled, Old Trafford chiefs accept that minutes are available for a dynamic, press-resistant operator—precisely the profile Smit has refined at AZ.

Barcelona and Real Madrid remain keen, yet Smit’s refusal to commit to another season in Alkmaar—“I don’t think that’s going to happen”—keeps the race wide open. United’s pitch can now centre on a pathway into the first XI rather than a squad role, a persuasive angle given the scale of the rebuild Erik ten Hag’s side face on multiple fronts.

Smit’s game mirrors Pedri’s: elite spatial awareness, quick forward distribution and composure when swarmed. If United can convince him those qualities will be showcased weekly at M16, they may secure the long-term successor to Bruno Fernandes’ creative burden in one smart swoop.

The ball, as the midfielder himself says, is in their court: “When I do know, then yes, I will tell you guys.”