-James Adams
Developing young players and then providing them with an opportunity in the first team has always been a key part of Manchester United’s History.
With that in mind, here are 4 players that could add to this long-standing legacy.
Fosu-Mensah was signed from Ajax in 2014 and signed his first professional contract for United in August of this year.
Currently captaining the Holland U-17 side from the back he has played both at Centre Back and Centre Midfield for United this season.
Fosu-Mensah never seems rushed on the ball and provides a powerful presence down the spine of the team. Louis Van Gaal is apparently a huge fan of the youngster after bringing him over from Ajax and he could find himself playing at the base of United’s midfield in the next few years.
Axel Tuanzebe
Tuanzebe was named United’s Young Player of The Year 2014/15 and has already captained United’s U-18 side on multiple occasions.
Like Fosu-Mensah, Tuanzebe is very comfortable on the ball and is a very powerful and athletic figure on the pitch. Coaches have also praised him for his leadership qualities and MUTV commentator David Stowell sees him as being “in the ilk of Ferdinand”.
Marcus Rashford
Nicky Butt recently praised Rashford after United’s 3-0 win against PSV and described him as “a very talented boy but a good, hard worker as well”.
Rashford is a speedy and explosive forward that can play up top or out wide. He has scored 8 goals in 11 starts this year and overall for United has 25 goals in 48 starts (YouthHawk). Rashford hasn’t even turned 18 yet but he could feature for the first team in the next couple of years.
Callum Gribbin
Gribbin, who was reportedly coveted by Liverpool, recently signed a new 4-year deal at United. He also had the opportunity to train with the first team before they left for their pre-season tour of the States this year.
Gribbin is comfortable playing in any of the three positions behind the striker although he has been particularly impressive on the right wing. This season he has been making a name for himself as somewhat of a free-kick specialist after scoring a few already, including a fantastic one against PSV. Like Rashford, Gribbin was applauded for his performance against PSV and coaches have also praised his intelligence, awareness of space and movement off the ball (YouthHawk).
Despite a lot of talk recently that United’s academy has fallen behind the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea there are certainly some exciting prospects within the youth system that could light up Old Trafford in the near future.
Please use the comments box below to let us know whom you think United Fan’s should be keeping an eye on?
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