Teenage defender Harrison Parker has completed his move to Manchester United from Premier League rivals Arsenal, bidding farewell to the Gunners on his official Instagram page.
Serge Gnabry, Yunus Musah, Ismael Bennacer and Nathan Tella – just four young players now starring elsewhere after ending their time at London Colney.
And while Parker has a long way to go if he wants to follow in the footsteps of Gnabry, a Bundesliga and Champions League winner at Bayern Munich, the highy rated centre-back obviously felt he would be better served continuing his development at Man United rather than Arsenal.
And that alone may be cause for concern at a club that has prided itself on youth development since the turn of the century.
Despite spending almost a decade in Arsenal’s feted academy system, one of the most impressive young defenders in his age group left the London giants earlier this month and has put pen to paper with their old adversaries.
“After nine brilliant years at Arsenal, I have finally decided to end my journey with them as it’s time for a new chapter,” Parker wrote on Instagram.
“I am grateful for all the time and experiences (Arsenal) have given me to help me become the player I am today. Those memories will last forever.
“Also, (I would) like to say a thank you to all the staff and coaches who have helped me on my journey so far. Forever grateful.”
As Parker moves to Man United, what is going on behind the scenes at Arsenal?
The exodus at Arsenal isn’t anything new. The Gunners lost another teenage sensation to Manchester a few weeks ago.
Skilful winger Femi Fapetu joined Manchester City after a brief spell training at Liverpool.
The much-admired Tim Akinola, meanwhile, has just a few months left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium.
According to reports, Akinola is attracting admiring glances from a who’s who of European giants, including Real Madrid, Atletico, Juventus and Monaco.
Borussia Dortmund are interested too and, as Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham can confirm, Dortmund usually get it right when snapping up exciting young Englishmen.
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