How many of the kids will make it?

POF

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There are a lot of variables that can dictate whether a young player makes it or not. The main ones being ability, attitude, opportunity and luck.

All of the current crop seem to have really good attitudes and under Ole's United they will all get plenty of opportunities.

The ones most at risk are Chong as he's probably the least talented and Gomes because he's the one that hasn't signed a new contract and I worry whether he will be patient enough. His height isn't a problem long term but he does need to build his physique before he can play regularly.

Attitude wise, they all seem to have great character. Tuanzebe, Gomes, Garner and Williams all regularly captained their teams at underage level.

I think Garner has the potential to be the best of the lot and I expect him to captain the club one day. He is also the least developed and he's probably 2 seasons away from being a genuine first team option though.

It's a really talented crop of players and I hope they all make it. Henderson should be in the mix too. If recent history is anything to go by, now that De Gea has signed a long term big money contract, his form is almost certain to fall off a cliff.
 

Pughnichi

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More patience and loans are necessary.

It would be great if Greenwood, Gomes, Garner and Williams could follow Tuanzebe’s path in getting first team football with a challenging Championship team. They would learn so much.
 

Eleven-Eighteen

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Tuanzebe, Williams, Greenwood, Garner, Laird and Levitt will make it United, Chong will have a good career at a Feyenoord/AZ Alkmaar, and Gomes will be a reasonably successful journeyman across Europe's lesser Leagues.
Do you have a prediction on publicly traded stocks?
 

Crashoutcassius

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Historically not many but we do seem to be in a new era... having said that it will be very hard for Greenwood purely because he is a striker and we are struggling to score. I haven't seen anything from chong that he is really but the same was true for pogba and zaha... if there was a loan where he could play a full season that should happen. Gomes... haven't a clue but I hope so as he looks so smart.

Tuanzebe looks the part to me, I'm half hoping we sell lindelof to barce for 50m this summer.

Williams it seems way too early to know and then obviously that applies to garner laird etc
 

Robbie Boy

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But he has made it. Odegaard is doing really well right now so it's no shame in losing to him. Last season he was very productive for them, but injuries kept him off. This season, he needs to get back to last season's effectiveness and Sociedad would be more dangerous.
He’s made it but he hasn’t lived up to early expectations.
 

redshaw

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Axel and Williams look good and should be playing now to be fair. Greenwood looks good enough prospect for a PL club if it doesn't work at United.
 

Big Ben Foster

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:lol: at some of the predictions in this thread

Our fans really never learn

We'll be lucky if 2 or even 3 of the current crop end up making it at the club
 

Adnan

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Williams and Greenwood The have played too few matches too be certain about their future, but they are the only ones who have shown top qualities imo. Think both can become not only United starters but also super players. Great potential.

Garner, has not impressed on me but has not been bad. I have seen too little of him plus he is not developed enough.

Chong and Gomes, not seen anything that has impressed on me and it looks as they are far from ready.

Tuanzebe, (age 23 so maybe not a kid anymore...) has shown he can play PL level but not really impressed on me so far. It is also much more difficult for a CB than a forward to become given as starter or to get minutes. A forward can play two good games and one bad, but a CB should rarely have a really bad game.
Tuanzebe is still 21
 

Adnan

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If he can stay clear of injuries then I believe Ethan Laird has the best chance.
 

Danish Wizard

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It depends on who the manager is..

Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood, Axel Tuanzebe is my sure bets. James Garner have a good chance as well. Doubt others will make it. Hopefully more will get through.
 

Nevilles.Wear.Prada

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Who can say for sure? Adnan Januzaj looked like a sure bet at one stage. So did Anderson. Cleverly got loads of time for us. Jones was meant to be the English Baresi, or the next Duncan Edwards. How good did Macheda look when he scored a few goals!

Time will tell, we haven't seen enough of any of them to be sure, apart from Rashford and maybe by the end of next season McTomminay.
So much pain and so much sense, feck you.
 

Devil81

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At United, Williams and Axel will defo make it in my opinion and I've been impressed with Garner as well, he looks very comfortable on the ball.

A lot of high hopes for Greenwood but I'm yet to see a performance where he's convinced me he's ready for the step up to the first team. Chong and Gomes both have limitations, Chong is too lightweight and a bit of a headless chicken and Gomes has all the ability but lacks height and strength.

Rashford and Mctomminey have already made it, no point including them in the list.
 

Sky1981

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Depends on the definition of made it.

If united... god forbid back to being the forerunner and challenging for the title i dont see any of our kids making it, even as backup. Probably rashford at a stretch. Mct at his current ability isnt top 6 material. And if we're actually challenging for the title we wont have the luxury to give them time.

So without sounding to be obnoxious the only way they'd made it is if they go on and become twice or thrice the player they are today. Which is unlikely

Edit the simplest way is to picture our youth, do they have a spot in the top 4?

Mct plays regularly for united not because he's good, more about how bad united has become that even players like mct got a starter spot. Harsh but true
 
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DFreshKing

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Greenwood has the best chance. I think Williams has an opening because of our squad so I hope he steps up - deserves his chance on merit at the moment considering the squad options.
 

lurkingfan

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Williams is much better going forward than Shaw + Young (should defo be getting games against park the bus teams), and Tuanzebe was looking more solid than Lindelof before injury. I'd like to see Gomez at 10 again before the end of the season. I'm not sold on Greenwood at ST or RW, I think James on the right and Marital should be our go to guys until the end of the season.
 

OleTheGreat

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I think we have a great youth team and there are a few that can actually thrive in this team and make the best out of the current situation but i doubt they can make an impact in a potentially league winning team. Mctominay, Gomes, Williams, greenwood still need time to make positions their own and for that, their fitness levels have to go up. We need a couple of decent midfielders who can support Pogba and the whole dynamic of the squad will change. Perrira and Fred cannot really make an impact and i'm sorry, just retaining the ball is not enough but we need them to create chances and be everywhere on the pitch. Tuanxebe is the only player in this reserve squad who can actually add some qualityto this team and i think he should start week after week.
 

RamblingRebel

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Does "make it" mean just becoming a solid first team squad player in the current Utd squad, or to become a player that can and will compete for places in 3-4 years time when (hopefully) Utd are once again back at it and a force to be reckoned with?

The bar has fallen so low these days its hard to judge. Let's say Harry Maguire's level is somewhat similar to...ERM...Johnny Evans but yet at the moment he is hailed as the saviour to fix the defence. The quality is so low (in comparison to a "proper Utd team") these days. I doubt more than 2-3 of this current squad would be any near even a transitional SAF squad.
 

Random Task

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Lee Martin, Chris Eagles, Fraizer Campbell, Jonny Evans, Danny Simpson
I'm not entirely clear on the point of this post, but it's worth pointing out that at least one of those players scored the winning goal in an FA Cup final replay.
 

Irwin99

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It's very hard to predict. I think Sir Alex said in jest that if Giuseppe Rossi didn't make it here then we might as well shut down the academy (he didn't make it here). Yet you also have the odd surprise like McTominay coming through who has probably exceeded expectations.
 

hobbers

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It really depends what you mean by 'make it'. Playing regular Prem football somewhere? Playing regular football for a top four side? Playing regularly or irregularly for a title winning side?

As far as being regular members of a title winning starting eleven, probably none of them.

James, Rashford and McTominay are the best of them. All could probably be regulars in a top four side within a few years. Tuanzebe, Greenwood and Williams are the next tier. They have a good shot but still have it all to prove.

The rest? No different to the Eagles or Tunnicliffes of before, frankly.
 

ifightdragons

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It really depends what you mean by 'make it'. Playing regular Prem football somewhere? Playing regular football for a top four side? Playing regularly or irregularly for a title winning side?

As far as being regular members of a title winning starting eleven, probably none of them.

James, Rashford and McTominay are the best of them. All could probably be regulars in a top four side within a few years. Tuanzebe, Greenwood and Williams are the next tier. They have a good shot but still have it all to prove.

The rest? No different to the Eagles or Tunnicliffes of before, frankly.
I agree, and I'd add Dean Henderson to the list of possible future top players, slightly above or at least alongside Tuanzebe, Greenwood and Williams.
 

Raw

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No chance for Fosu-Mensa? He seemed really highly rated a few years ago but seems to have fallen off the radar (injured?).
He's had a long term injury since April I believe. That plus uninspiring loans at Palace and Fulham doesn't do much for his chances.

Also no one really knows his best position. DM? CB? RB?
 

SweetRightFoot

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It's a massive success if one of them ends up a top class player.
This.

Also what I'd suggest is that it's not down to natural ability, talent or technique but down to mentality. The mentality to be a winner on the training ground as well as the pitch. I mean look at Rashford and Mctominay, they're quite similar in some regards. Ice cold, hard workers and confident despite setbacks. No one would have looked at their skills at 16 and said they'd be some of the first names on the team sheet in their early 20s. That's the difference between the Ravel Morrisons and the Marcus Rashfords. Even a stratospheric talent like Neymar is paying the price now for taking his foot off the gas by choosing lifestyle over determination and Sancho is reaping the rewards of pushing his career forward by taking positive, if risky, steps abroad for his development. It's all about how you react to football, how you react to first team promotion, how you react to the money, how you react to failure and how you react to success. That's all on top of hard work though.

Out of our lot? Williams looks like a fighter, could do very well. Like Gomes's skills a lot but I don't know much of his mentality, he is small though so you don't expect him to be flying into tackles but he doesn't seem to hide when he gets fouled himself which is good. Greenwood looks very composed which is a good sign, can see that Ole wasn't throwing him in when Martial was out to not break his confidence which is probably wise, expect he'll get more minutes as the season goes on. Axel needs a bit more experience but his apparent lack of aerial ability isn't a good sign seeing as he's a pretty big lad himself. Flat out don't rate Chong, strikes me as just another kid with quick feet and pace with no end product, played against hundreds of them myself. He also needs a haircut. Lastly, I think Garner's got great potential. He strikes me as confident, even cocky, without taking it too far in the little I've seen of him.
 

Bestietom

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Rashford and McTominay are pretty much starters now..

We have seen Tuanzebe, Williams, Garner, Gomes, Chong and Greenwood all get minutes this season..

How many do we think can make it .. if not at United, then at least at the premier League level..

I think they all look promising... But surely we can't have so many players coming up together at the same time.. stuff like that doesn't happen..
Tuanzebe, Williams, and Greenwood out of the ones highlighted. I don't know yet about Chong, Garner, or Gomes, but if they don't make it here they will elsewhere, imo.
We have quite a few others in the academy that could very well make it also.
 

soapythecat

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So many permutations that can make or break a young footballer breaking through. They need a massive slice of luck along with bags of talent.
I think one of the biggest indications of if they will make it is their mental strength to succeed at United and take all the criticism that comes with playing for United. Been a youngster at say Norwich or Bournemouth comes will much less stress or pressure I suspect (I'm most likely wrong mind!). We have seen many youngsters not make the grade at United but perform admirably at other clubs that don't have such pressures.
Taking out McT and Rashford who have already made it in my mind, regardless of what happens now. I think the quality of Williams is a given and I hope he is our starting LB come January, February time. Similarly, Axel T will be a starter for us very soon - he looks a very good defender for his age. The rest are all possibles that need a good few games under their belts, with performances to match, otherwise they may find themselves missing an opportunity and ending up looking elsewhere for football.
I bet in 5-6 years we are having a discussion about why we let Chong or Gomez go though. Just a hunch!
 

Isotope

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Wish that William, Chong, Garner, and Gomes can have a good loan, instead of us relying on them.
 

Majima

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As it stands Rashford is looking like the only one capable. Once we get our act together, McT won't be a starter for long. He's really not that good. Greenwood and similar really young players it's too early to tell yet.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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None will ever be good enough to start for a team challenging on all fronts like we used to.

Rashford is good enough to start for a top 4 challenging team, maybe Greenwood and Tuanzebe will be, but it's very discouraging how injury prone they are at such a young age. McTominay will be a midtable starter, or top 4 challenging squad player.

Gomes will be a good PL player, Bournemouth level. Chong will be a midtable Eredivisie player. Williams will be a League One/Championship player like CBJ. Haven't seen enough of the others.

Really surprised to see people predicting so many youngsters to make it. For example, Williams seems to be the focus right now and very highly rated at the moment, but I wonder if he is any better than Bothwick-Jackson was when he debuted.

It was right around the time that Fosu-Mensah was seemingly nailed on to be a starter for 10 to 15 years. That being said, it was also the time period that Rashford got his debut so who knows

I think United would be lucky to get 1 or 2 youngsters from the current crop to make an impact. That's nothing against this current crop, its just more about how difficult it is to have so many youngsters hit all at the same time. Defenders always seem so difficult to predict as they mature as well. Also, I still have a feeling in the back of my mind that even someone like McTominay, who is in a really good run of form and may have technically "made it" may not be the solution either.
United fans always overrate and overhype the youngsters. Always. Look at old posts from 2015-16 time, people talking about TFM, CBJ, Blackett, Varela, Wilson, McNair as future starters.

I hope I'm wrong and that all of them will be world-beaters in a great United team, but we have to be realistic. The hype at the moment is a bit much.
In my humble opinion, Dean Henderson is the most promising talent we have right now.
The Truth.
 
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Craig Ward

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Even now, Rashford still looks inconsistent and has a lot to prove.

McTominey too - some good games, some abysmal. Maybe a sign of our times but it shows that our 2 more established academy graduates still struggle.

Just a reminder that talent gets you so far, the rest is dedication, work rate, luck and mindset.

Of all the current names mentioned

Williams:
Playing due to injuries to Shaw & Dalot, rotation with Young. Hardly an are of strength for us, but has done "ok", nothing to suggest we have a top tier player on our hands. I would rather he plays than young of course, but this is a position I think we will ultimately go into the transfer market for. Verdict: Williams will not be a regular in our starting #11. We can and should be aiming at better quality for LB

Tuanzebe:
I'd rate Tuanzebe as our best prospect (including Rashford and Mctom). Was awesome for Villa and looked composed and assured everytime he's played for us. I'd like to see him played ahead of Lindelöf and believe he can keep getting better and better and believes he would compliment Maguire as a CB pairing.

Garner:
Too early to tell, not seen enough of him to make a judgement. Talented, probably needs a loan

Gomes:
Big hype but likewise to Garner. He has featured more than Garner but again, too limited to properly assess. From what I've seen, for a creative player he doesn't look to impose games or cause the opposition real threat. Could develop further, but hard to see

Chong:
Pretty much the same as Gomes, except one or two observations. He loses concentration and fades out of games big time. He is sloppy in possession and very lightweight with the ball. Hard to see a future here for him given our options off the left. Would benefit from a loan, but from what I've seen he's like a very average version of januzaj

Laird:
Comes with big hype, see Garner: Too early to tell, not seen enough of him to make a judgement. Talented, probably needs a loan. Could be Gary Neville, could be Donald Love