United have been linked with the 23-year-old for some while and have been quick to sign the winger following Cristiano Ronaldo's £80million exit to Real Madrid.

The attack-minded wing man kicked off his career at Club Deportivo El Nacional - a club owned by the Ecuadorian military that only field nationally-born players.

After impressing in South America, the player joined Villarreal but was quickly loaned out to Recreativo before joining Wigan on a temporary basis. After impressing on loan, Valencia made his move to the JJB Stadium permanent in January 2008 and has since made 52 appearances for the club, scoring six goals.

Capped 34 times for his country, the player has been attracting interest from Sir Alex Ferguson for several months and reportedly cut short a holiday to complete his medical and agree personal terms at Old Trafford.

At £18million, fans may suggest that Valencia is a little over-priced for a player who has not long established himself at Premier League level. Time will tell - but it's positive to see the club quickly moving to strengthen the squad following Ronaldo's big-money sale and news of Carlos Tevez's imminent exit.

Welcome to Old Trafford, Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera.

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