Man Utd vs Man City(u18) - 11:00 AM KO

KM

I’m afraid I just blue myself
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
50,761
Not live on MUTV but city +

Lineups to follow
 
Reported lineup:

XI: Hardy, Helafu, McCormack (C), Ngwashi, J. Watson, McEvoy, Shah, Ziro, Camacho, Brown, Mpofu

Subs: Z. Watson, Laurie, Emsden-James, Carrick, McLaughlin, Dejonge-Seiros, Bradbury
 
That midfield and defense is decent but attack looks a bit weak.
 
I was thinking the very same thing.

There was a part of me that was expecting JJ and Ajayi to start the season with the u18s. No Rooney or Nkoto brothers either.

I don't know a lot about the 2 kids we are signing from City, but I think they are midfielders?

Hopefully one of the younger lads can suprise us.
 
Faetheshire86 said:
I was thinking the very same thing.

There was a part of me that was expecting JJ and Ajayi to start the season with the u18s. No Rooney or Nkoto brothers either.

I don't know a lot about the 2 kids we are signing from City, but I think they are midfielders?

Hopefully one of the younger lads can suprise us.
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New signings need clearance

Im sure the best players will be in for the Youth Cup

Not heard about the Nkoto brothers throughout preseason
 
Faetheshire86 said:
I was thinking the very same thing.

There was a part of me that was expecting JJ and Ajayi to start the season with the u18s. No Rooney or Nkoto brothers either.

I don't know a lot about the 2 kids we are signing from City, but I think they are midfielders?

Hopefully one of the younger lads can suprise us.
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I said same last season. And Ajayi surprised me on how he improved as season gone on.

Lets hope same for Manu Ziro..And I know Camron Mpofu been injured last season , lets see if he can do well too.
 
I was expecting JJ to start too but apparently there’s an u21 game on Monday.
 
The full game should be uploaded on the ‘Elite Scholars’ YT channel tomorrow if anyone’s interested.
 
Mickson said:
Looks like a very weak team. Will probably have nothing to do with the title this season.
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I am glad you said. I feel exactly the same , just didn't want to be that guy to say it.
But to be fair, felt same last year too. And Ajayi was a nice surprise.
 
Looks like we had plenty of chances, just couldn't convert. Their goalie made some great saves - as did ours to be fair. Camacho looked very good ( I watched the highlights on Youtube so couldn't get an overall impression of the team but they played pretty well from the highlights)
 
From the highlights I saw, Charlie Hardy in goal looked great. Not the biggest though when standing next to a few City players. Ngwashi just looks strong and calm. Very athletic and seemed in control of City. The left winger Brown is good in patches but doesn't have that required output. Helafu looks good but not sure he will go much further with us.
 
Just watched a mid week game and gee, this team looks devoid of real quality. I just don't get Nathaniel Brown. Quite tricky but absolutely no end product. Shah looks really limited. Striker Cameron just very average. Camacho, Ziro, Seiros, the same. Carrick there by name. Probably the weakest squad in years. A real concern.
 
Demaw said:
Just watched a mid week game and gee, this team looks devoid of real quality. I just don't get Nathaniel Brown. Quite tricky but absolutely no end product. Shah looks really limited. Striker Cameron just very average. Camacho, Ziro, Seiros, the same. Carrick there by name. Probably the weakest squad in years. A real concern.
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You deduced we lack quality in a match we won 3-0?

Charlton always has a good academy btw.
 
KM said:
You deduced we lack quality in a match we won 3-0?

Charlton always has a good academy btw.
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Are you saying this year is a good crop of youngsters or what?

He didn't say we won't any games at all did he.
 
RedKnight88 said:
Are you saying this year is a good crop of youngsters or what?

He didn't say we won't any games at all did he.
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The first year scholars were back to back national champions, so yea I’d say they are pretty good.

He said someone who has won multiple national titles (often as captain) and received England call ups is living off a name. He was rightly called out for being an idiot.
 
RedKnight88 said:
Are you saying this year is a good crop of youngsters or what?

He didn't say we won't any games at all did he.
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If you agree with the drivel that he posted then that’s your problem with the mind and not mine.
 
To me, the quality is a lot less in the 18's this time. Helafu and Ngwashi are very good, Emsden-James and Hardy are very good signings it seems. Possibly Ngwashi is the only one who may have potential to go into the first team squad in the future. Look at Watson, good player, not left footed but no chance of playing left fullback in the firsts. It's obvious now. We are talking about our issues with the left back with the firsts. We need to get several in that have that potential. After a few years, Amass is clearly not seen as an option and Leon needs a lot more time.
 
Demaw said:
To me, the quality is a lot less in the 18's this time. Helafu and Ngwashi are very good, Emsden-James and Hardy are very good signings it seems. Possibly Ngwashi is the only one who may have potential to go into the first team squad in the future. Look at Watson, good player, not left footed but no chance of playing left fullback in the firsts. It's obvious now. We are talking about our issues with the left back with the firsts. We need to get several in that have that potential. After a few years, Amass is clearly not seen as an option and Leon needs a lot more time.
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Watson is a good player and I think he'll suprise a few this season. There's a reason he's been selected for England.

He also is left-footed, I don't know how you could've watched him and come to any other conclusion.
 
I've seen him play more right side than on the left. I think he's a quality player but not big enough. We seems to have a lot of these tidy players over the years but never go anywhere with us. Just my opinion. I think Ngwashi has a bright future.
 
Demaw said:
To me, the quality is a lot less in the 18's this time. Helafu and Ngwashi are very good, Emsden-James and Hardy are very good signings it seems. Possibly Ngwashi is the only one who may have potential to go into the first team squad in the future. Look at Watson, good player, not left footed but no chance of playing left fullback in the firsts. It's obvious now. We are talking about our issues with the left back with the firsts. We need to get several in that have that potential. After a few years, Amass is clearly not seen as an option and Leon needs a lot more time.
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Watson is left footed. Maybe too left actually. I agree though that he does not seem to have mobility required to be a top-quality LB at the senior level.

You are not wrong with your general sentiment that on paper this set does not seem to have obvious bright sparks (especially in attack) however football development is not linear and some of them might surprise you as they get stronger, taller, faster, better as the season progresses.
 
Demaw said:
I've seen him play more right side than on the left. I think he's a quality player but not big enough. We seems to have a lot of these tidy players over the years but never go anywhere with us. Just my opinion. I think Ngwashi has a bright future.
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Watson never plays RB. He is usually LB and has played CB a few times as well.

He is also very left footed.
 
Maybe it’s just me and how I view things but I’m looking forward to seeing how this years under18s will develop, maybe more so in the light that we haven’t seen much of them so far and there’s not really many being hyped. It’s nice to see a young player develop through out the season similar to Ajayi last year as someone mentioned.

For me they did well in the Charlton game and I can see players potentially improving with experience and just as important confidence. Brown looks lively and towards the end of last season showed he can score and assist.
Helafu gets involved so much and helps set tempo and rhythm. Ziro did well when he came on and got an assist too. Camacho is versatile and looks neat and tidy too.

I’m hoping those with experience like McEvoy can set the spine of the team and others like Rooney develop consistency.
 
We have been blessed with really entertaining and talented individuals/teams the past few years. Yet, looking at the amount of names that have played academy, it's a shock how few actually made it. This 2026 team seems to even more lack that, so it will be interesting to see if any of them really develop.

Since 2019-2026: Only Mainoo and obviously JJ, and maybe Lacey have made the first team.

The only real stars that have generally made it are Garner, Elanga and Alvaro who don't play for us. Neither three are world beaters but very good pros.

Looking at that 2019-2026 list on Chat GPT, there is a massive issue with a lack of quality players. The thing is, you look at this 2026 squad and you already know there is very little that will progress with us.

I know we are becoming more proactive in the buying of youth talent but watching City, Chelsea, even Brighton etc, we have failed massively. Winning under 18 cups etc are great but in the end, we are forking out huge money to the Santos who Chelsea were happy to leave for 50 million, and Baleba (70 million) etc who Brighton done the work and got on the cheap.
Now it's Lewis Hall (another 70 million) it was recently Sesko, Mbuemo, Cunho (180-200 million) as we didn't even have a striker or attackers. The defence is still bargain basement quality in Dalot, Maz, Martinez, Harry, Shaw etc, there isn't a kid even likely to come through at this stage from 18's, except for Yoro who we paid a fortune for, but yes, Heaven was an amazing win!!
Vivell and team have a lot of work to do. As the recent buying showed, gone are the days we can keep forking out 80 million plus for one player. If we don't bring through some quality kids in the next 5 years to slot in the first squad, we are really going to struggle (with the stadium costs as well)
 
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Demaw said:
We have been blessed with really entertaining and talented individuals/teams the past few years. Yet, looking at the amount of names that have played academy, it's a shock how few actually made it. This 2026 team seems to even more lack that, so it will be interesting to see if any of them really develop.

Since 2019-2026: Only Mainoo and obviously JJ, and maybe Lacey have made the first team.

The only real stars that have generally made it are Garner, Elanga and Alvaro who don't play for us. Neither three are world beaters but very good pros.

Looking at that 2019-2026 list on Chat GPT, there is a massive issue with a lack of quality players. The thing is, you look at this 2026 squad and you already know there is very little that will progress with us.

I know we are becoming more proactive in the buying of youth talent but watching City, Chelsea, even Brighton etc, we have failed massively. Winning under 18 cups etc are great but in the end, we are forking out huge money to the Santos who Chelsea were happy to leave for 50 million, and Baleba (70 million) etc who Brighton done the work and got on the cheap.
Now it's Lewis Hall (another 70 million) it was recently Sesko, Mbuemo, Cunho (180-200 million) as we didn't even have a striker or attackers. The defence is still bargain basement quality in Dalot, Maz, Martinez, Harry, Shaw etc, there isn't a kid even likely to come through at this stage from 18's, except for Yoro who we paid a fortune for, but yes, Heaven was an amazing win!!
Vivell and team have a lot of work to do. As the recent buying showed, gone are the days we can keep forking out 80 million plus for one player. If we don't bring through some quality kids in the next 5 years to slot in the first squad, we are really going to struggle (with the stadium costs as well)
Click to expand...
We have had Greenwood and Garnacho as well even though they are elsewhere.
 
Demaw said:
We have been blessed with really entertaining and talented individuals/teams the past few years. Yet, looking at the amount of names that have played academy, it's a shock how few actually made it. This 2026 team seems to even more lack that, so it will be interesting to see if any of them really develop.

Since 2019-2026: Only Mainoo and obviously JJ, and maybe Lacey have made the first team.

The only real stars that have generally made it are Garner, Elanga and Alvaro who don't play for us. Neither three are world beaters but very good pros.

Looking at that 2019-2026 list on Chat GPT, there is a massive issue with a lack of quality players. The thing is, you look at this 2026 squad and you already know there is very little that will progress with us.

I know we are becoming more proactive in the buying of youth talent but watching City, Chelsea, even Brighton etc, we have failed massively. Winning under 18 cups etc are great but in the end, we are forking out huge money to the Santos who Chelsea were happy to leave for 50 million, and Baleba (70 million) etc who Brighton done the work and got on the cheap.
Now it's Lewis Hall (another 70 million) it was recently Sesko, Mbuemo, Cunho (180-200 million) as we didn't even have a striker or attackers. The defence is still bargain basement quality in Dalot, Maz, Martinez, Harry, Shaw etc, there isn't a kid even likely to come through at this stage from 18's, except for Yoro who we paid a fortune for, but yes, Heaven was an amazing win!!
Vivell and team have a lot of work to do. As the recent buying showed, gone are the days we can keep forking out 80 million plus for one player. If we don't bring through some quality kids in the next 5 years to slot in the first squad, we are really going to struggle (with the stadium costs as well)
Click to expand...

Tbf it's been a while since we've had a genuinely impressive looking defence at U18 level for whatever reason but it does seem like this year's first year scholars have real ability. Would be nice if one or two of them could make the first team. I think in recent years we've generally had solid all round defences with few standout talents, but perhaps Ngwashi or someone can change that.
 
Demaw said:
We have been blessed with really entertaining and talented individuals/teams the past few years. Yet, looking at the amount of names that have played academy, it's a shock how few actually made it. This 2026 team seems to even more lack that, so it will be interesting to see if any of them really develop.

Since 2019-2026: Only Mainoo and obviously JJ, and maybe Lacey have made the first team.

The only real stars that have generally made it are Garner, Elanga and Alvaro who don't play for us. Neither three are world beaters but very good pros.

Looking at that 2019-2026 list on Chat GPT, there is a massive issue with a lack of quality players. The thing is, you look at this 2026 squad and you already know there is very little that will progress with us.

I know we are becoming more proactive in the buying of youth talent but watching City, Chelsea, even Brighton etc, we have failed massively. Winning under 18 cups etc are great but in the end, we are forking out huge money to the Santos who Chelsea were happy to leave for 50 million, and Baleba (70 million) etc who Brighton done the work and got on the cheap.
Now it's Lewis Hall (another 70 million) it was recently Sesko, Mbuemo, Cunho (180-200 million) as we didn't even have a striker or attackers. The defence is still bargain basement quality in Dalot, Maz, Martinez, Harry, Shaw etc, there isn't a kid even likely to come through at this stage from 18's, except for Yoro who we paid a fortune for, but yes, Heaven was an amazing win!!
Vivell and team have a lot of work to do. As the recent buying showed, gone are the days we can keep forking out 80 million plus for one player. If we don't bring through some quality kids in the next 5 years to slot in the first squad, we are really going to struggle (with the stadium costs as well)
Click to expand...
I think it depends quite alot on where you set your expectations. United for years have been at the top of production for the league. That’s one level. Certainly, City and Chelsea have invested heavily and being paid well the last decade when you look at producing for sales to top 5 leagues clubs, but if you look at the PL or the top 5 leagues and see how many players has been at the United Academy, or how many have been in the youth setup, I think you’ll find us ranking fairly high up there as well. You mention some examples. Thats another level. Then if you look at how many in the first team squad, or in the first team games, come from own academy or youth setup, United have currently Rashford, Mainoo, Lacey, Amad, Fletcherx2, Amass, Heaven, Armer (don’t think JJ is ready yet) probably looking likely to get gametime this season (still unclear about Amass and loan/sale). I’ll bet you creds that if in May you sum up the games they’ve played for us this season, and compare it to the similar numbers at, say the other top 6 clubs, you’ll find we are doing quite well in that respect too. Maybe not THE best, but high up.

Last time I did something similar, I was surprised to see how many clubs I assumed were above us who actually produced less on all levels of production.

As for these u-18s, I’ll be impressed regardless if one gets above ten first team games, two gets a PL level carreer and two or three more get Football league carreers. I haven’t watched any of them, so this is a general expectation, not an assessment. In my experience I don’t expect to be able to presict now who will end up were in that framework.
 
Thanks guys, I wanted to get some data on what the numbers were. I realise how hard it is to make our top squad and hopefully the new batch we are signing will help.
 
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