If it makes you feel better, then I'll substitute LVG for SAF...
Tahith Chong
- Thread starter KM
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Chong was brought in by LVG so he wouldn't be here if Louis was never here too. But would love to see Chong get minutes for sure
Don't be easy on him
It's a tough world out there. Substitute LVG for Giggsy instead & ask him how he is feelingI don't think LVG had anything to do with us getting Chong. Our scouts and coaches at youth level are in charge of recruiting youth players and LVG had very little input in them matters...
To be fair though, this did happen at a time we bought blind, depay & a 16 year old fosu mensah because of him. The latter one especially got games surprisingly quickly; I'd say it is more likely he would have got a game by now than he wouldn't have.
Me too. Not sold that he’s the second coming at all just yet.
His first touch is far from ideal, and passing range could be much better, he often loses time while trying to pick right pass... Cannot say he is our best prospect that comes from the academy in last 10 or 15 years, but he is one of 6-7 best. Absolutely deserves chance during the summer.
Honestly I see Mason Greenwood as a much bigger potential for that RW position in the future, but who knows...
Honestly I see Mason Greenwood as a much bigger potential for that RW position in the future, but who knows...
All of the kids (Greenwood, Gomes, Chong) could learn from Pogba when it comes to a first touch. It's all to do with mentality when under pressure. Pogba doesn't panic so he's able to keep the ball in crowded spaces from just being patient and waiting for a pass or pathway to open up.
LVG didn't have anything to do with the signings of Chong or Fosu-Mensah, they were both brought in by academy staff who had been watching them before LVG was even at the club
We brought in a Swiss player called Janko around the same time and Nicky Butt in a interview said he was so impressed that he got the club
His first touch is absolutely immaculate imo and he showed that in the game against Liverpool when there was snow on the ground.
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I hope we're not going to take Martial's number off him again.
Blackmore is prone to hyperbole, he also said that Gomes was good enough for the first team when he was 15.
He's an excellent talent who'll probably make it here but predicting which youngster is gonna play for the first team is a very, very tough task as shown by McTominay.
Take this with a pinch of salt, Blackmore has got previous for over hyping youth players.
True...happened to himself as well I think I remember rightly, when Bryan Robson said similar things about Clayton!!
Ive seen bits and pieces of him on youtube. Definitely has the attributes, vision, speed, good decision making, holds onto the ball when he needs to, brings others into the game, but hes still way too raw for first team. Minutes here and there is about all he could really expect. Given hes well down the pecking order Im not surprised he hasnt been getting them. But bags of potential. I feel like thats been said of 100s of our youth over the last few years.
Yeah, I remember:
Bryan: ‘Clayton could be the best United midfielder since Robson!’
Clayton: ‘Aye, probably even much, much better.’
Seems to be the biggest factor in youngsters making the grade isn't their technical ability but the mental side of things. Januzaj, for example, immensely talented but seemed to lack the mental strength of focus to crack the first team. If Chong can focus on his game and not on getting a big contract then he'll have a shot. If not, he'll be just another kid on the massive scrapheap.
Who's better , Chong or Gomes?
No idea about Chong, but I was under the impression LvG was behind the Fosu Mensah transfer. He arrived the same day as Blind and LvG commented on him and knowing a lot about him.
Was just about to post something like this myself, all the talk about how talented Chong might be is all well and good but we have zero idea how he'd react mentally if he became a first team player. His attitude might look good in the reserves but you put any 18 year old in the spot light and it might go to his head, there's still not that much need to rush players, he's only just moved up to U23s a few weeks ago.
Chong has looked better at the u23 level but thats not necessarily a reflection of who the superior player is.
Chong works really hard both offensively and defensively. Never forgets to mark the opposing left back. I think Mourinho would like that about him. But he's still quite inconsistent offensively. He's still only 18 I don't see him (or gomes) making any first team appearances next season other than maybe in the efl cup.
I totally agree and am shocked at how little exposure Greenwood gets on here in comparison! Really like the look of Mason; he has power, pace and trickery!
You're right about how they should learn from Pogba but you should credit him with more than just being patient. Pogba's touch in general is good-to-fantastic because he mixes it with a combination of shielding the ball with his physique, genuine skill/feints, 'natural' talent and of course because he simply does have a good touch. Not sure you can 'learn' that but the kids can definitely improve their consistentcy of play and touches.
So hard to call at these ages, but I don’t think you can look past Chong at the moment. Gomes has a lot to do I think, and shouldn’t be as close to the first team as his squad appearances suggest. Certainly not closer than Chong, who has been far better in the reserves.
The main obstacles for Gomes are possibly his size, and more importantly, his position. It is not the position to develop young players in, and not one to really entrust kids with. 10s often come in different roles and kind of end up there. I think Gomes needs another strong position that he is good enough to play first team football in, before he thinks about maybe becoming a 10 in the long run. Be that centre midfield, out wide or whatever, his gig can’t be trying to break through as a 10 I don’t think.
We need to relax a bit with the far better for the u23s line. They've played like 3 games at the level. All of which we've comfortably lost. A faster, more physical and direct player like Chong will always look better in a dysfunctional team losing games compared someone like Gomes.
So he hasn’t looked better then? It’s been an optical illusion?
You may have mitigation for WHY he has been better, but he still has been.
It has been 3 games so no, neither have been easily better at that level as both have done nothing at that level yet.
For those 3 games he's probably been our best player though.
He's looked better than Gomes everytime they've been on the pitch together, under 18 or under 23, period...
Nevertheless it is 3 games. And I've just pointed out a direct style player like Chong will always look the best in a dysfunctional side because he is more individualistic and able to still have his moments.
No he hasn't. Period.
Fosu Mensah had been over to visit the club before Van Gaal even got the job, I'm sure he did know a lot about him since he was 1 of the biggest prospects in Holland and played for his former club but he didn't sign him
Keep telling yourself that...
Awesome young talent. But still many times where he looks like a young kid
Sounds like you're making excuses for Gomes who was underwhelming even in the game against Liverpool in the Uefa youth league.
Gomes has gone off the boil a little as Chong has gone the opposite way. That said, Chong probably has adapted more in an extremely poor side (maybe the worst I can ever remember) than Gomes. That said, two extremely great talents that I hope get cameos from now until the end of the season.
Agree with both of these. Salary has a big impace too I think. Personally I think FIFA should be looking at a salary cap for under a certain age and then again when you break into the senior team for a set amount of seasons.
You're the one who has just claimed Chong has been better every time they've been on the pitch together which is just laughable. Get your head out of Chong's ass. Gomes was easily better on plenty of occasions, especially last season. They are both exceptional talents.