Rank The Talents

Cevno

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I know it's always tough to predict how good a Young player can get, but with interesting discussion going on about who is the better talent in the Januzaj and Daehli threads and how people rated past youth players, i thought it would be interesting to start a thread about the current crop at the club.

Basically, who are the the top 10 talents (in order) at the club now according to you ?

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)

And i don't mean in terms of their chances of making it at United, but who amongst these do you think will end up having the best career even if it's elsewhere ....

Edit - Can include on loan players who are not established in the first team like Petrucci, Henriquez, Macheda and also Powell and the likes. (Fabio is excluded and so is Bebe, btw.)

Reasons will be appreciated and you can include more than 10, if you want.
 
Nice thread

1) Ben Pearson
2) Nick Powell
3) Januzaj
4) Henriquez
5) M Keane
6) Daehli
7) A Pereira
8) Sam Johnstone
9) W Keane
10) Barmby

I have ranked Ben Pearson at number 1 as I feel that he is a wonderful young player who can be a feature in our first team for 15 years or more, he looks a very modern Premier League player in the making.

I think that Nick Powell has already shown that he has the talent but more so than that, he has a big time attitude.

Henriquez has already proven himself at a decent senior level and I would be surprised if he didn't have an excellent career here or elsewhere.

The rest are my pick of the youngsters, it is hard to rank them. Januzaj just has that arrogance about him and he is always a danger, a very skillful player. I really like Pereira, he is going about his business effectively but relatively quietly at the moment.
 
Nice thread

1) Ben Pearson
2) Nick Powell
3) Januzaj
4) Henriquez
5) M Keane
6) Daehli
7) A Pereira
8) Sam Johnstone
9) W Keane
10) Barmby

I have ranked Ben Pearson at number 1 as I feel that he is a wonderful young player who can be a feature in our first team for 15 years or more, he looks a very modern Premier League player in the making.

I think that Nick Powell has already shown that he has the talent but more so than that, he has a big time attitude.

Henriquez has already proven himself at a decent senior level and I would be surprised if he didn't have an excellent career here or elsewhere.

The rest are my pick of the youngsters, it is hard to rank them. Januzaj just has that arrogance about him and he is always a danger, a very skillful player. I really like Pereira, he is going about his business effectively but relatively quietly at the moment.

Embarassed to say that I have never heard about Pearson until now. Could you say a little bit more about him?
 
Embarassed to say that I have never heard about Pearson until know. Could you say a little bit more about him?

He is a tough tackling midfield play maker. He dictates the play, has a great range of passing and likes to get stuck in. A little bit of Michael Carrick and a little bit of Jack Wilshere. He is English too, thus he is going to be better adapted to English football and is unlikely to be looking for a move every two years. There are more 'talented' players in the youth set up but Pearson is a budding Manchester United player in my eyes.
 
He is a tough tackling midfield play maker. He dictates the play, has a great range of passing and likes to get stuck in. A little bit of Michael Carrick and a little bit of Jack Wilshere. He is English too, thus he is going to be better adapted to English football and is unlikely to be looking for a move every two years. There are more 'talented' players in the youth set up but Pearson is a budding Manchester United player in my eyes.

Sounds exciting! Will have to try to stream some youth matches again, annoying that we don't get MUTV in Norway.
 
Sounds exciting! Will have to try to stream some youth matches again, annoying that we don't get MUTV in Norway.

I must add that he is reminiscent of Scholes too, he is diminutive and has a very good long pass on him. Much better tackler though!
 
Pearson is amazingly well rounded for his age. Still very young and now has started bossing the academy matches.

Januzaj and Daehli excite me the most though.
 
Would Perriera fall into the "special talent" category? He looked incredibly talented from the youtube clip I saw when we got him.
 
Pearson is amazingly well rounded for his age. Still very young and now has started bossing the academy matches.

Januzaj and Daehli excite me the most though.

They are more exciting for sure. I am probably a little Pearson biased too as he is from my hometown, though I am sure that most would agree that he is a superb little player. I sometimes wonder about Daehli, he seems to go missing for long periods when I see him. I wonder about him stepping up levels, the ability is obvious though.
 
My rankings as of now -

1) Mats Moller Daehli - Big call and i maybe completely wrong, but this Kid is special. Was tough between him/Adnan and Powell. He is a hard trainer too by all accounts and comes across well in his interviews.

2) Adnan Januzaj - Class act. He has a touch of Berba about him almost though in a different position and floats around with great touch. Has great awareness too and is adding physicality to his game with work rate getting better.

3) Nick Powell - He is perhaps the closest to the first team being physically developed already. Good all round player and has a touch of swagger about him. Sir Alex called him the Scholes replacement and that is some praise.

4) Angelo Henriquez - Well, he was starting in the Copa Libertadores at the age of 17. The guy can score goals and that will ensure he has a good career somewhere, if not here. Reminds me of Gonzalo Higuain in his playing style and still needs to adapt to English football, but his movement is top notch.

5) Michael Keane - Already doing well at Leicester and impressing in his first loan spell. He is a Evans like Ball playing defender. Needs to slightly toughen up, but with the way he has grown he has a decent chance of making it here or atleast coming into rotation 2 seasons from now after a PL loan maybe. A future England International too probably.

6) Davide Petrucci - He has just too much talent to be ruined by Injuries. Yeah, he lost 2 seasons but he is combative, can work hard and has a good passing game. I am a bit unsure now if he will make it here, which i hope he does but hopefully he goes on to have a very good career somewhere.

7) Ben Pearson - He runs games consistently for the U17. Is always available for the ball and can make a hollywood ball just as easily as Scholesy at that Level. He needs to grow up and develop physically, but the talent i think is there. Very tough to tell definitively about CM's at this age though, more so than any other position.

8) Will Keane - Well, he would probably be slightly higher if not for a serious Injury taking away a year from his development at a crucial stage. Before that he was dominating Reserves almost to Rossi Levels, despite being a different sort of player. Hopefully, he comes back firing as Sir Alex had said he would have been in the 1st team squad this season despite the 4 strikers being ahead. Has impressed in 1st team training in the past too and made his PL debut at the age of 18.

9) Andreas Pereira - This guy was coveted by allegedly all top clubs before he came here and the Youtube Videos were impressive too. :drool: Hasn't quite shown those silky skills yet, but he has just arrived this season and had a few injurires. Quietly though has managed to show his quality in different ways to that video. His passing is quick and assured and he can dictate the tempo in the u18 games. Has a good free kick and can score a few goals for MF too.

10) James Wilson - The RVP of the U18's. Has been a goal machine this season and perhaps ready for the step up. Looks classy and is quick, with a very good left foot plus the main thing is that he can now lead the line and score goals more regularly.

11) Tom Lawrence - Made his Wales u21 debut at the age of 18 this week. Is good technically and has good positional awareness too. A SS/AM who is neat on the ball and can play though balls basically. Is stuck in between the u18's and U21's at the moment but should come onto his own in the next season or so.

12) Jack Barmby - Good English style Winger/Wing forward. Was a scoring machine in the U18's last season but has been stunted by a few niggles and others overtaking this season, but is quick, has good control and can strike/cross a ball for sure.

13)Marnick Vermijl - A rich man's Ritchie De Laet, if you like. Has been a consistent performer in the u18's this season and still young for a fullback. Will go on to have a decent career somewhere. Fullback after CM, is probably the second toughest place to tell at this level though as they can get found at defensively at the top level.

14) Tyler Blackett - He went on the tour of Africa last time at the age of 18. He is grown physically and is good on the ball, but lacks a bit of positional awareness at this age. All depends on how he develops that in terms of a career he can have.

15) Luke Giverin - He has gone under the radar a bit but is pretty good technically and doing very well on loan at Antwerp, running things from Midfield. Has already in a way made his friendly debut at LB, which is where like Cleverley (who played RB) he played in his younger days with us.

16) Jesse Lingard/ Larnell Cole/ Ryan Tunnicliffe / Tom Thorpe / Scott Wootton - All of them deserve a mention to round this up. Lingard is probably ahead of the rest along with Tunnicliffe as of now.
 
feck, that was tough and i probably left out someone too. :p

Edit - Yeah, left out Macheda for one who should be in the 10 and beyonds somewhere.
 
feck, that was tough and i probably left out someone too. :p

I forgot about Wilson. Is it just me or do we have the most talent rich youth setup in memory? I suppose the reserve class of 2006-08 was pretty bloody good though.
 
They are more exciting for sure. I am probably a little Pearson biased too as he is from my hometown, though I am sure that most would agree that he is a superb little player. I sometimes wonder about Daehli, he seems to go missing for long periods when I see him. I wonder about him stepping up levels, the ability is obvious though.

Nah Daehli has been really consistent this season. Has bossed matches.

James Wilson is another quality talent.
 
Nah Daehli has been really consistent this season. Has bossed matches.

James Wilson is another quality talent.

Admittedly I have not seen as much of the youth team this year as I would have liked so you will have a better overall impression than me.
 
I forgot about Wilson. Is it just me or do we have the most talent rich youth setup in memory? I suppose the reserve class of 2006-08 was pretty bloody good though.

Yeah, definitely. 2006-08 had some good quality marquee talents, but i would say the current ones even if you exclude Henriquez/Powell have equal, if not better quality spread around especially the U18 group. Even the likes of Kenji Gorre couldn't break in, who seemed a decent player himself.

James Weir, Donald Love, Gollini probably all deserve a mention too. And so does Nick Ioanauu from what he has shown so far at such a young age.

The next batch coming through with Rashford, Harrop,Mitchell Fletcher, Borthwick Jackson etc... is supposed to be talented too, btw. Wonder if this is the reason why we haven't brought in any other foreign players in a while though i am sure we'll be trying with the really top talents like Praet, Bakkali, Henen, Alonso etc..
 
I haven't watched much of the U18's, and anyways it's too early to make a call on them at this stage. From the U21's and from what I could gather watching games on a live stream, the following players I think have a good chance:

(1) Powell: Confident little player. Ways ahead of some of the others in terms of physical development. A tremendous shot in his repertoire. He is not going to help with any tiki-taka nonsense but like others, I see a Frank type, who will score goals from the midfield.

(2) Januzaj: Has made an easy transition to the U21 level. Looks class on the ball. Creates space, beats his man with ease and has tricks in his bag needed for a wide player. Doesn't possess rapid pace.

(3) Will Keane: I thought he was penciled in to make it here until the horrific injury. Will have to reassess once he gets back. ACL/MCL injuries are never good but he is only young.

(4) Blackett: Has taken a step back this season but looked like a talent last season. Positional sense will come with age but the concentration losses at crucial times worry me a little.

Haven't seen much of Henrqiuez to give an opinion.

I could be wrong about the rest of the U21's (the before January team), I hope I am, but I don't see anyone else making it here.
 
Off the top of my head:

1. Januzaj
2. Powell
3. Pearson
4. Dæhli
5. Will Keane
6. Henriquez
7. Pereira
8. Wilson
9. Lingard
10. Barmby

Honorable mentions: Gollini, Rothwell, M. Keane, Thorpe, Petrucci.

And I'm probably forgetting someone.
 
I must add that he is reminiscent of Scholes too, he is diminutive and has a very good long pass on him. Much better tackler though!

To be fair, a wheeliebin is better at tackling than Scholes :D

Pearson and Daehli are my favourites to watch currently. Tyler Blackett close behind, I like his versatility at the back. He will be a left fullback in the end.
 
Powell and Tunnicliffe are the closest to get game time simply because they are physically developed enough not to look out of place in first team.

I can see almost all of them going out on loan first before being considered in contention for first team squad.

It will be a big disappointment if not even one out of Keane brothers, Pearson, Daehli, Januzag, Wilson and Pereira make it.
 
My rankings as of now -

1) Mats Moller Daehli - Big call and i maybe completely wrong, but this Kid is special. Was tough between him/Adnan and Powell. He is a hard trainer too by all accounts and comes across well in his interviews.

2) Adnan Januzaj - Class act. He has a touch of Berba about him almost though in a different position and floats around with great touch. Has great awareness too and is adding physicality to his game with work rate getting better.

3) Nick Powell - He is perhaps the closest to the first team being physically developed already. Good all round player and has a touch of swagger about him. Sir Alex called him the Scholes replacement and that is some praise.

4) Angelo Henriquez - Well, he was starting in the Copa Libertadores at the age of 17. The guy can score goals and that will ensure he has a good career somewhere, if not here. Reminds me of Gonzalo Higuain in his playing style and still needs to adapt to English football, but his movement is top notch.

5) Michael Keane - Already doing well at Leicester and impressing in his first loan spell. He is a Evans like Ball playing defender. Needs to slightly toughen up, but with the way he has grown he has a decent chance of making it here or atleast coming into rotation 2 seasons from now after a PL loan maybe. A future England International too probably.

6) Davide Petrucci - He has just too much talent to be ruined by Injuries. Yeah, he lost 2 seasons but he is combative, can work hard and has a good passing game. I am a bit unsure now if he will make it here, which i hope he does but hopefully he goes on to have a very good career somewhere.

7) Ben Pearson - He runs games consistently for the U17. Is always available for the ball and can make a hollywood ball just as easily as Scholesy at that Level. He needs to grow up and develop physically, but the talent i think is there. Very tough to tell definitively about CM's at this age though, more so than any other position.

8) Will Keane - Well, he would probably be slightly higher if not for a serious Injury taking away a year from his development at a crucial stage. Before that he was dominating Reserves almost to Rossi Levels, despite being a different sort of player. Hopefully, he comes back firing as Sir Alex had said he would have been in the 1st team squad this season despite the 4 strikers being ahead. Has impressed in 1st team training in the past too and made his PL debut at the age of 18.

9) Andreas Pereira - This guy was coveted by allegedly all top clubs before he came here and the Youtube Videos were impressive too. :drool: Hasn't quite shown those silky skills yet, but he has just arrived this season and had a few injurires. Quietly though has managed to show his quality in different ways to that video. His passing is quick and assured and he can dictate the tempo in the u18 games. Has a good free kick and can score a few goals for MF too.

10) James Wilson - The RVP of the U18's. Has been a goal machine this season and perhaps ready for the step up. Looks classy and is quick, with a very good left foot plus the main thing is that he can now lead the line and score goals more regularly.

11) Tom Lawrence - Made his Wales u21 debut at the age of 18 this week. Is good technically and has good positional awareness too. A SS/AM who is neat on the ball and can play though balls basically. Is stuck in between the u18's and U21's at the moment but should come onto his own in the next season or so.

12) Jack Barmby - Good English style Winger/Wing forward. Was a scoring machine in the U18's last season but has been stunted by a few niggles and others overtaking this season, but is quick, has good control and can strike/cross a ball for sure.

13)Marnick Vermijl - A rich man's Ritchie De Laet, if you like. Has been a consistent performer in the u18's this season and still young for a fullback. Will go on to have a decent career somewhere. Fullback after CM, is probably the second toughest place to tell at this level though as they can get found at defensively at the top level.

14) Tyler Blackett - He went on the tour of Africa last time at the age of 18. He is grown physically and is good on the ball, but lacks a bit of positional awareness at this age. All depends on how he develops that in terms of a career he can have.

15) Luke Giverin - He has gone under the radar a bit but is pretty good technically and doing very well on loan at Antwerp, running things from Midfield. Has already in a way made his friendly debut at LB, which is where like Cleverley (who played RB) he played in his younger days with us.

16) Jesse Lingard/ Larnell Cole/ Ryan Tunnicliffe / Tom Thorpe / Scott Wootton - All of them deserve a mention to round this up. Lingard is probably ahead of the rest along with Tunnicliffe as of now.


Good list, agree with Moller Daehli.

He, Ben Pearson, Adnan Januzaj, Nick Powell and Angelo Henriquez is the only ones I think can make it big. I think it's a outside chance for James Wilson and maybe Jack Barmby (have not seen enough of Andreas Pereira).
 
I can make a list later - (as I am at work now I can't) - but my feeling is that Michael Keane is seriously underrated in here. He is playing regularly at a top-club in the Championship as a defender

Imo - he is top 3. He has every skill required to succeed at United.
 
I can make a list later - (as I am at work now I can't) - but my feeling is that Michael Keane is seriously underrated in here. He is playing regularly at a top-club in the Championship as a defender

Imo - he is top 3. He has every skill required to succeed at United.

I know it's more likely for attacking players to stand out but it is surprising to me that he is so low, or absent, on most people's lists. He seems one of the most likely to make it at United long term. Januzaj, Daehli, Pearson and the like are all very talented but I have no idea if they'll actually make it here.
 
1 - Mats Daehli
2 - Adnan Januzaj
3 - Ben Pearson
4 - James Wilson
5 - Andreas Pereira
6 - Jack Barmby
7 - Donald Love

1 - Powell
2 - Henriquez
3 - W. Keane
4 - Petrucci
5 - M. Keane
6 - Lawrence
7 - Lingard
8 - Cole
9 - Vermijl

I find it very difficult to compare across the age groups, particularly given the completely different experiences and opportunities of, for example, Henriquez and Pearson. So I've written up two lists. It's worth noting that if you take away the differences of age, I rate several of the U18s higher than any of the U21s. Daehli, Januzaj and Pearson are particularly eminent, and Wilson and Pereira also shine.

Daehli is the best young player I've seen in an English academy since Wilshere, about whom I gushed similarly. I don't know exactly what that special thing is that sets him apart from the likes of Pearson, Januzaj, Morrison and Pogba but Wilshere had it and Daehli's got it too.
 
I know it's more likely for attacking players to stand out but it is surprising to me that he is so low, or absent, on most people's lists. He seems one of the most likely to make it at United long term. Januzaj, Daehli, Pearson and the like are all very talented but I have no idea if they'll actually make it here.

But that's mainly because they're younger than him, which can hardly be held against them. The OP doesn't ask for a list of who is most likely to make it here, simply the 'top ten talents'.

I agree that Keane should be on these lists, but then it's always been harder to judge defenders at youth levels, and few will have been able to watch him much on loan.
 
But that's mainly because they're younger than him, which can hardly be held against them. The OP doesn't ask for a list of who is most likely to make it here, simply the 'top ten talents'.

I agree that Keane should be on these lists, but then it's always been harder to judge defenders at youth levels, and few will have been able to watch him much on loan.

Surely making it at United denotes a large amount of talent though? But like I said it is difficult to compare defenders to attackers as well and the attackers are much more likely to stand out.

You do have a good point about his age though, I didn't realize he was already 20 so he does have 2-4 years on most of the other players listed.
 
So so difficult. I'm not going to include Henriquez or Powell in my list as they both came in as first team regulars from their retrospective clubs. I'm not going to include Petrucci either as he's 21 now.

1) Januzaj
2) Michael Keane
3) Pearson
4) Daehli
5) Lingard
6) Wilson
7) Will Keane
8) Pereira
9) Blackett
10) Harrop (I just really want him to turn out as good as I think he is)

Edit:My top 3 are the ones I think have most chance of making it here although Daehli is quite special too but I think the other 3 have a slightly higher chance.

Januzaj just oozes class, he glides with the ball and can dictate play gliding across the pitch. I think he goes on loan next year, preferably to a team that play good football.

Keane we need no introduction, for me he has the easiest passage into the first team. He's already proven he can play, he's doing great at Leicester and in another couple of loans time Rio Ferdinand will likely retire and Vidic will be that bit older and Keane can find himself taking the Evans route and challenging for a squad place.

Pearson is exactly the type of footballer we could do with, he's like A better version of Tunnicliffe. He's a tough tackling terrier with a lot of steel and bite. He completely bosses games and really knows how to take them by the scruff of the neck, I think he has as strong a chance as any.
 
But that's mainly because they're younger than him, which can hardly be held against them. The OP doesn't ask for a list of who is most likely to make it here, simply the 'top ten talents'.

Talent is very wooly term. If you compared Bojan Djordjic and Gary Neville at 16 you would most likely say that the former was the most 'talented'. I think that we have to include how well adapted that we think these players are to making it at senior level as part of the assessment, otherwise, considering my example, 'talent' can be entirely meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
 
I can make a list later - (as I am at work now I can't) - but my feeling is that Michael Keane is seriously underrated in here. He is playing regularly at a top-club in the Championship as a defender

Imo - he is top 3. He has every skill required to succeed at United.

I did feel a bit dirty excluding a 20 year old center half who plays regularly in the Championship. However, I'm not 100% convinced by his potential yet. He clearly has a lot going for him but his lack of acceleration seems to get him in trouble at some stage just about every time I watch him. Hopefully, he'll be able to compensate as he gains experience and he might even add a bit of explosiveness as he continues to grow into his body. And, yes, I know there are plenty of examples of top class defenders without great pace, but each case is different and for now this is a problem for Michael in a way it wasn't for Evans, for instance, at a similar age.

This is not me slating him btw. I'm excited by his potential and dig watching him do his thing for Leicester whenever there's a stream.
 
Btw anyone else think Gollini is a very good prospect. His shot stopping, I think is excelllent. I'm also excited by him.
 
It's a bloody difficult , nigh on impossible, task to compare the talents of two individuals, hence why I'm listing the players, in order, that I enjoy watching the most.

1) Ben Pearson - think the lad is fantastic and a representation of what I hope England players in the future will be. Plays with commitment and bite, but does not lack for technical ability. Really hope he gets a shot at it.
2) Adnan Januzaj - glides about the place... at deceptively high speed. Has all the skills and tricks, but has an end product too. Needs to improve on a few things, but considering how early he has been brought into the U21's picture, it wouldn't surprise me if he figured in the first team squad sooner rather than later.
3) Jesse Lingard - goes under the radar a lot and I really didn't see how he fit into the team when he first appeared in the U18's. However the more you watch him the more you can see what he has. Good technique obviously, but also has the knack for finding a bit of space. Taking last nights game as an example, we were much better in the first half as we could get him on the ball. In the second half Arsenal didn't let him have the ball half as much and we were no where near as good.
4) Will Keane - has everything... unfortunately this now includes a busted knee. I really hope he comes back the same player as he looked a cert to me.
5) Daehli - Love to watch how he plays but I do have some concerns about the physical side of things, and whether he'll get the chance to show what he can do. It's the same with both Lingard and Larnell Cole as it goes. Fantastic players, but how do you get them the experience, as they are frankly too lightweight to go out on loan in L1 or the championship, but not ready for the premiership as they don't have the experience.

There are loads of other players that I really rate such as Vermijl, Michael Keane, Tom Thorpe, Sam Johnstone, James Wilson, James Weir and Jack Barmby but the ones above are my favourites.

Unfortunately, of those above, probably only one or two will get a genuine shot at it, and that will be dictated by circumstances as much as talent and ability.
 
1) Powell- makes things happen, and is a powerful lad too and has first team experience- seems to have the mentality of a top player too.

2) Januzaj- Skilful, great vision, decent size if he fills out he could become a powerful enough to get chances soon. His consistency of end product is really impressive.

3) Henriquez- great work ethic and movement, good touch and finishing, been impressed by his dribbling technique too- maybe not the biggest but quick to the ball and very promising

4) Daehli- Skilful and intelligent player with great work ethic, shame he's so damn small but if he physically develops he could become a top player for us- if not he'll be a top player in another league.

5) Michael Keane- going to be a top defender, composure, vision and passing sets in out from other defenders, was a late developer physically but he's getting stronger and will come good.

6) Pearson- consistently great for the u-18s, tidy footballer who dictates games with his passing, intelligence, work rate and strong tackling. Got to see how he steps up and deals with more physical players.

7)Will Keane- big, strong, hard worker, very intelligent, composed, great movement, good feet, great finisher, mentally strong- got to see how he comes back from his injury

8)Wilson- decent size, good intelligence and composure, very good left foot can play left wing, no 10 or no 9- but mostly played at no 9 because of a lack of strikers at u18s as well as exploiting his best attribute- timing of runs off the shoulder of defenders. Got to see how he steps up against better defenders.

9) Lingard- very good passer, intelligent, good striker of the ball and works damn hard. Getting better all the time. Got a chance to be a very good player once his body develops.

10) Blackett- very tidy player, great physique and a good striker of the ball. Still a reactive player (rather than reading the game) but he's got a lot of potential

Edit: forgot about Petrucci! if I did it again, he'd be 8th
 
I think M Keane and Pearson have a big chance personally.
 
Btw anyone else think Gollini is a very good prospect. His shot stopping, I think is excelllent. I'm also excited by him.

Improved a lot this season -was shaky the matches he played last season