Will any of the current youngsters make it as a Manchester United player?

Sparky Rhiwabon

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As far as I can tell, none of the current batch of ”homegrown” youngsters who have stayed with the club are looking like getting significant minutes this season by forcing their way into the team, and none of the ones out on loan are really tearing it up, to my knowledge. Let’s include the likes of Amad and Pellestri in this discussion, who were bought but very much as youngsters for the future.

So, do you think any of them will make it as a United player? Is this just not a vintage group of youngsters? Or have those days simply gone?

What says the Caf?
 
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MiceOnMeth

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Very hard to predict. I don't think Rashford was seen as a special prospect before he got his chance
 

BigDycheEnergy

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Depressing side note: since Darren Fletcher made his debut almost 20 years ago, our 3 best academy products are probably Pogba, Greenwood and Rashford. The latter is fine of course, but the other two went horribly wrong, for different reasons :(

The academy really needs a big win soon.
 

Tallis

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Yes, several will make it. Difficult to predict but I would guess that Mejbri, Alvaro, Zidane, Savage. Would love to see a McNeil step up and make it given the scarcity of strikers but he needs to add more to his game.

I suppose Elanga has already made it.
 

Big Ben Foster

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Depressing side note: since Darren Fletcher made his debut almost 20 years ago, our 3 best academy products are probably Pogba, Greenwood and Rashford. The latter is fine of course, but the other two went horribly wrong, for different reasons :(

The academy really needs a big win soon.
Evans wasn't bad. Played an important role in three of our title-winning sides.
 

BigDycheEnergy

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Evans wasn't bad. Played an important role in three of our title-winning sides.
I thought about him for a bit, but Rashford and Pogba are clearly better in my opinion.

Greenwood didn't have time to do much, but if it wasn't for all the off-pitch stuff then I feel confident that he would have turned into a very good player. He's possibly the most gifted player from the academy since the 90s. What a waste.
 

Andersons Dietician

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Given the status of United currently I’m not sure there is the path for them to succeed and given our position overall I’m not sure we can really afford to give them the minutes for their development unless they are like some sort of freak like a Haaland, Mbappe or the likes.

Which is sad but its the nature of the beast now.
 

Trequarista10

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Hannibal, Diallo and Garnacho will make it regardless, either here or another big club.

Fernandez, Iqbal, Mainoo, Hanson-Aareon, McNeil, Hugill, Laird, Savage, Shoretire and a couple others have half a chance.

Elanga kind of has made it, but I think he will be a backup for a while then drop down a level for more regular football.
 

Belisarius

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There is an article in MEN today saying Iqbal skipped a call-up to his national team so he could stay and train with Ten Hag while the other players are away. He can get more of Ten Hag's time with fewer players in training. The article says he impressed ETH a lot in the summer. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he got some significant minutes before the end of the season.
 

Gopher Brown

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I thought about him for a bit, but Rashford and Pogba are clearly better in my opinion.

Greenwood didn't have time to do much, but if it wasn't for all the off-pitch stuff then I feel confident that he would have turned into a very good player. He's possibly the most gifted player from the academy since the 90s. What a waste.
Greenwood, I hope, will be used as an example to our younger players that no matter how talented you are, if your character isn’t right you won’t make it here. Same with Morrison.

Shows how difficult it is for the youngsters to break through, I’m not sure anyone would have predicted McTominay would make it at 18. Maybe he’s the other end of the spectrum that if you do have the right character then you can achieve it.
 

AjaxCunian

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Only players I'd give a chance are Laird, Diallo, Hansen, Gore, Mainoo, Fernandez.

From the younger years, Shea Lacey and Amir Ibragimov.
 

Strootman's Finger

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What's a "homegrown player" anyway? We bought Amad from Atalanta, where he played for the first team, we bought Pellistri from Penerol, where he played in the first team. People are mentioning Pogba, but Le Havre might have something to say about whether or not he is our youth product.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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Yes, several will make it. Difficult to predict but I would guess that Mejbri, Alvaro, Zidane, Savage. Would love to see a McNeil step up and make it given the scarcity of strikers but he needs to add more to his game.

I suppose Elanga has already made it.
By “make it” I mean have a good career as a United player, not look unconvincing in a bit part role for a few seasons before moving to a smaller club. Of course, that may not happen to Elanga but I wouldn’t say he’s “made it” as a United player yet.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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What's a "homegrown player" anyway? We bought Amad from Atalanta, where he played for the first team, we bought Pellistri from Penerol, where he played in the first team. People are mentioning Pogba, but Le Havre might have something to say about whether or not he is our youth product.
Let’s not get hung up on the term homegrown, I think we know what we’re talking about here.
 

Skills

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On average I think you get a starting XI quality player every 4-5 years.

Rashford and Greenwood were that for us in recent years.
 

Andycoleno9

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As our players? No. Because simply they will not get a chance. Maybe Garnacho will get a chance but i doubt about others.

I would love to see Iqbal more though
 

Remember the geese

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What's a "homegrown player" anyway? We bought Amad from Atalanta, where he played for the first team, we bought Pellistri from Penerol, where he played in the first team. People are mentioning Pogba, but Le Havre might have something to say about whether or not he is our youth product.
Pogba is definitely a Manchester United academy product. He is also a product of Le Havre's system.
 

Rood

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As far as I can tell, none of the current batch of ”homegrown” youngsters who have stayed with the club are looking like getting significant minutes this season by forcing their way into the team, and none of the ones out on loan are really tearing it up, to my knowledge. Let’s include the likes of Amad and Pellestri in this discussion, who were bought but very much as youngsters for the future.

So, do you think any of them will make it as a United player? Is this just not a vintage group of youngsters? Or have those days simply gone?

What says the Caf?
Garnacho probably has the best chance, although it's still too early to judge the '22 Cup winners

Laird and Fernandez are playing regularly on loan so far

I think the potential of Iqbal is one reason they let Garner go, he probably needs a loan though as there are too many ahead of him

I don't count Pellistri or Amad as our youth, both are technically very good but have not excelled on loan for various reasons so difficult to see them getting the chance at United
 

Dread Devil

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Garnacho and Iqbal have impressed me…I think we will see them in the cups this year and coming on regularly during games as the season progresses.

It will be interesting to see how Diallo, Mejbri and Laird do on loan….have a little bit of hope for all three…
 

Ali Dia

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I’ve given up trying to predict. Ravel Pogba and Greenwood were all supremely talented but didn’t have the kind of seriously driven personality you need to become world class. Rashford stopped running for 2 years. Casemiro can’t get past McT who I’ve been frustrated with more often than not. Gomes looked a class above and couldn’t get a sniff here. It’s all luck and timing.
 

Poborsky's hair

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The unstable situation at United with the ever-increasing pressure on success every year is a problem for our youngsters. Now the gaffer ETH will just play it very safe. And there will be more players coming in.

I wished someone like Iqbal who until the preseason didn't look anything better than decent would just be given chance now we got excited about him. But he will have to stay patient and be ready to take his chance when given.

What's good and bad about the academy is that there is many talented ones and not always the flashiest player will make it. Only Greenwood seemed the most obvious recently but Rashford was just decent. McTominay was really one of the worst in the crop but with arguably the best mentality. Elanga is just decent at best. Luck will decide who make it with us but many will be Premier league quality players.
 

SAFMUTD

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No one can predict who'll make it. McTominay didnt had a chance in hell and here he is. Tuanzebe, Pereira, Chong and Gomes were praised as great and none of them made it. So its really hard, it depends on the player, the team, the manager and also luck.

From the current batch the ones who look that can make it are Hannibal, Iqbal and Garnacho. Possibly Pellistri, Amad and Laird can make it as well, just not sure they can do it here. They're possition are filled with young players in Antony and Dalot so it'll be hard for them to earn a place.
 

jesperjaap

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Until they actually break through and get minutes fairly regularly and the opportunity to prove themselves, its naive to even give an opinion.

There have been a few like McTominay and Fletcher who didnt seem super highly tipped, even Rasahford to a lesser degree, who got opportunities and took them.

There have been very few, maybe onl Pogba, Greenwood and Morrison that looked liked dead certs to make it and only one really has, off the field and attitude are things we simply dont bear withness too. Often hear big players talkign about others as kids that were far better than them but didnt have the decication or mindset.

SO as for those that will make it here, really foolish to tip someone in the U18s who are way away like Mainoo as an example, as none of them are at the level of dead certs, its simply those that get minutes that have a chance of making it, as a lot of the start youngsters are out on loan and a few have been for a godo couple of years, its hard to tip them, look at Garner.

I would have to say Iqbal and I know sod all about him purely as he is in the squad and may get opporunities. I think Hannibal, Laird, Amad and Pellestri all look like talented players and all can make it.....but will any of them make it here, that is an altogether different thing, the step up from youth games is huge
 

wolvored

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What's a "homegrown player" anyway? We bought Amad from Atalanta, where he played for the first team, we bought Pellistri from Penerol, where he played in the first team. People are mentioning Pogba, but Le Havre might have something to say about whether or not he is our youth product.
Yes I have thought the same before. To me an homegrown should mean that at around 7/8 he came to Utd, not played for another professional team. Pogba, for example, was already coached by a professional team, so hes not really home grown imo.
 

Hughes35

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Pretty sure Garnacho will make it at a very good level. He looks really good to me.
 

Boondog

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There is an article in MEN today saying Iqbal skipped a call-up to his national team so he could stay and train with Ten Hag while the other players are away. He can get more of Ten Hag's time with fewer players in training. The article says he impressed ETH a lot in the summer. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he got some significant minutes before the end of the season.
Excellent.
 

OmarUnited4ever

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Depressing side note: since Darren Fletcher made his debut almost 20 years ago, our 3 best academy products are probably Pogba, Greenwood and Rashford. The latter is fine of course, but the other two went horribly wrong, for different reasons :(

The academy really needs a big win soon.
Evans, Welbeck and Cleverly made to the first team and played a lot of games under SAF, yes they did not continue to be great players for United, but at the very least they made it to the first team.

Lingard, Rashford, McTominay & Greenwood all also made it to United's first team and played plenty of games.

What we need to see under Ten Hag is if the current crop of youngsters will make it to the senior team first, that is the first step for them, Elanga made it for now and is an option, after that we can see if they are really good enough.
 

footballbite

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I'll take a stab at it. In order of how likely I reckon they are to make it:

Very Likely:
Mainoo - has everything you could want from a midfielder and seems the closest to one who could eventually nail down a starting role. If he doesn't reach the level to be at least a regularly used squad option it will be a shame. Only criticism is he's sometimes a bit too casual, but playing against tougher opposition and for a manager like ten Hag should drill that out of him.

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Good Chance:
Garnacho - not sure he'll become a regular, but could become a decent squad option. Technically very good, and has the flair and confidence required; main reservation is I'm not sure he's quite got the pace and explosiveness to be a Utd level winger, as opposed to say mid-table La Liga, but that could develop a bit more in future perhaps.
Fernandez - has all the physical aspects required and lots of dynamism in his play. Seems very good going forward but suspect defensively. Might be more suited to LWB than LB which could limit his opportunities a bit at Utd but the talent seems to be there.

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Alright Chance:
Iqbal - never hugely stood out in the academy, but seems to have really kicked on recently.

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Outside Chance:
McNeill - has shown flashes that he can up his level, but not done it consistently enough.
Laird - could be a cheap backup RB to Dalot, but ideally buy someone else.
Hugill - I'm only saying this because he's been out of action with injuries so often recently it's hard to tell how he might progress once he's back playing regularly, but he showed promise when he first joined and did more than McNeill in the academy.
Diallo - has the ability on the ball, but doesn't get involved in games enough. This is the season when he really needs to kick on and at least become a regular in the Champ.

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I've not really seen it in any of the others so far. I'm including Hannibal in that, as although he'll probably have a decent career somewhere I've not seen much that special from him to suggest he'll make it at Utd. Plus I think he's the kind of loose cannon managers will lose patience with.
A couple of people here mentioning Gore, and though I must have seen him play a few times I can't recall him really doing anything?! Maybe I wasn't focused on him enough.
There'll of course be ones in younger age groups who it's not possible for most to have seen enough of yet to pass judgement, for instance I've not seen Ibragimov play at all yet.
 

CarbonStoolBites

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I thought about him for a bit, but Rashford and Pogba are clearly better in my opinion.

Greenwood didn't have time to do much, but if it wasn't for all the off-pitch stuff then I feel confident that he would have turned into a very good player. He's possibly the most gifted player from the academy since the 90s. What a waste.
Not possibly, comfortably.
The best player the academy produced since Scholes and Beckham.