Bouhafsi said we'll be doing a lot of scouting and business in France in the coming years. I expect he's on our radar. With Brexit coming up though we don't know how that's going to affect 16 year olds being able to sign for us. We may have to do work arounds by agreeing paid deals for them when they turn 16 then loaning them out for 2 years, even that might be against the new rules Brexit will implement.Can we please sign his compatriot Bitshiabu to partner him? Watched the Al Kass tournament on Eurosport and...well, the video speaks for itself.
That passing
He's left footed too.
Willy Kambwala
- Thread starter Adnan
- Start date
There's just a lot more than simply slotting in a player for a player.
He's a teenager who doesn't have the proper mental, emotional, or experience needed for adult/men's football. And it's not even close. Look at Greenwood and how he has been developed. Tanganga at Spurs.
Axel isn't match ready and has barely started proper first team group training. Mengi hasn't played any senior football through 5 matches.
You're either mixing good youth with bang on reliable and quality players, or the youth players will have to be brought up slowly and with a potential loan or two. United don't have the most reliable defensive backline at the moment and so helping them figure their shit out and getting back to their good levels requires a lot of time.
Which in itself only works as Dortmund comfortably finish in the top 3 in their league. I don't it would work here.
I like giving kids a chance as much as anyone but we can't just go dropping all of our experienced defenders to play against some of the best teams in Europe. Throwing someone like Mengi into those games could do him more damage than good. He's a brilliant talent but you need to manage their exposure at young ages.
Let's be realistic. CB is very different from midfield or attack. You get roughed up more and mistakes usually cost goals and matches. Players like Axel and Mengi will rarely if ever have played against players of the talent and intelligence of Mbappe and Neymar. I would hope they both get chances to establish themselves throughout the season but against the top teams we need players who've actually experienced that level of football before.
If either get a chances it will be likely be beside an older head like Maguire who can help guide them through it.
Absolutely @SteveW. Players like Mengi need to be eased into the team. The reason we don't bed in 6/7 youth players a season is because it's totally unrealistic, everyone pretends they'd be fine with all the mistakes they make but as soon as it starts costing points they turn on them. A few shaky cameos for Chong and all of a sudden he has no chance in hell of being good enough, apparently. I've no doubt we have a plan for how we integrate players into the first team and it's certainly not by throwing them to the wolves straight away. Greenwood's our most talented player in 20 years and we still took our time preparing him for the first team.
You seem to have been on a year-long campaign to have 16 and 17 year olds starting for us.
Not quite but ...Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Teden Mengi must start the next game
Alemar Post #2,696 Oct 4, 2020 Forum: Match Day
Axel Tuanzebe | 2020/21 Performances
He must immediately start if fit. The question is, in a pair with whom
Alemar Post #41 Oct 6, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Facundo Pellistri | 2020/21 Performances
Hopefully he starts against Newcastle and manages to score or give an assist
Alemar Post #22 Oct 5, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
It would be good to start Mengi, Mejbri and Elanga
Alemar Post #34 Sep 27, 2020 Forum: Match Day
You'd be surprised, he spent the entirety of last season asking for youth players at every possible opportunity. I'm not going to root through his post history but he showed up constantly in the youth player threads saying how they should be playing for the first team already.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Teden Mengi must start the next game
Alemar Post #2,696 Oct 4, 2020 Forum: Match Day
Axel Tuanzebe | 2020/21 Performances
He must immediately start if fit. The question is, in a pair with whom
Alemar Post #41 Oct 6, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Facundo Pellistri | 2020/21 Performances
Hopefully he starts against Newcastle and manages to score or give an assist
Alemar Post #22 Oct 5, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
It would be good to start Mengi, Mejbri and Elanga
Alemar Post #34 Sep 27, 2020 Forum: Match Day
There’s a lot more than that trust me.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Teden Mengi must start the next game
Alemar Post #2,696 Oct 4, 2020 Forum: Match Day
Axel Tuanzebe | 2020/21 Performances
He must immediately start if fit. The question is, in a pair with whom
Alemar Post #41 Oct 6, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Facundo Pellistri | 2020/21 Performances
Hopefully he starts against Newcastle and manages to score or give an assist
Alemar Post #22 Oct 5, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
It would be good to start Mengi, Mejbri and Elanga
Alemar Post #34 Sep 27, 2020 Forum: Match Day
Tuanzebe is 22 tbf
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Teden Mengi must start the next game
Alemar Post #2,696 Oct 4, 2020 Forum: Match Day
Axel Tuanzebe | 2020/21 Performances
He must immediately start if fit. The question is, in a pair with whom
Alemar Post #41 Oct 6, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Facundo Pellistri | 2020/21 Performances
Hopefully he starts against Newcastle and manages to score or give an assist
Alemar Post #22 Oct 5, 2020 Forum: Player Performances Forum
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
It would be good to start Mengi, Mejbri and Elanga
Alemar Post #34 Sep 27, 2020 Forum: Match Day
You don’t win anything with kids, am I right? All joking a side, I can’t imagine how much worse those kids would do compared to what our so called expensive seasoned pros have served up.
Our U23s are struggling enough already, their average age is only a year or two younger than the competition, if you suddenly dropped them in the PL they'd be comfortably relegated. There are precious few currently good enough in the youth teams to be replacing their first team counterparts, our best and most experienced youth players have been loaned out, arguably only Laird and Mengi would stand a chance of displacing anyone and they're both big "ifs". This season will play out the same as any other, we'll look to bed 1 or 2 in and if we manage it we'll consider it a solid success.
It will be easy enough to imagine after the first 5 minutes of playing a bunch of U18s against PL opposition. They aren’t even that great in the EFL Cup against a bunch of League One guys. They’d have no chance at the top of the game.
Everyone has a warped perspective of kids who look decent at youth level. If you pick any random year and list all the players playing in the 18 or 23 league, half of them are playing in the Belgian Second division and League 2 today, many even worse. Our first team lose a game against a bunch of £30m players and people think these kids can do better because they looked good against some no marks.
I’m all for integrating young players sensibly, or where they are just that prodigious, but perspective needs to be maintained. Many of these under performing first teamers you speak of were also much touted youth players once like Lingard, Williams, Andreas and co, and they are far from good enough, and that is despite them being a lot better today than they even were at 18.
Who has been out injured almost an entire year. So, after he's signed off medically fit, he should get match fit playing a 45 minute, followed by a 75 minute shift for the U23s. If his body's ready, his head and muscle-memory need to get back up to speed as well before we play him in the PL.
Note how Bielsa plays training matches with Leeds players doing 90 minutes with no FK or throw-in breaks (so I'm told). Which may explain why their stamina and match awareness are so good when they turn out in PL, and why they're 7 pts above Sheffield United.
Throw-away remarks: X, Y, Z should start get tedious when it's every 2nd post.
Hoping to see more about Big Willy but alas...
You are correct
The best example of someone who broke through at a young age (not exactly P.L - but at the highest level) was Maldini - who played regularly at 17. And he was the exception.
But Ferdinand as I recall was playing more or less regularly for West Ham either just before he turned 18 or immediately after. Tony Adams also played quite a bit before turning 18 - but wasn't really a regular until just before turning 20
John Terry started playing regularly a few months before his 20th birthday, Des Walker almost exactly the same. Sol Campbell played regularly for Spurs justbefore turning 19. Ledley King had turned 20 before playing regularly. Jamie Carragher played regularly at 19. Bruce and Pallister both played regularly at 19 but in division 3 and 2 respectively.
So the best british centrebacks over the last 30 years - all started playing regularly either at 18 or 19 (King was 20)
Nice info there. Thanks for that.
De Ligt?
There have been plenty of examples in past of young players being introduced to first team football in their teens.
Kevin Beattie and Tommy Caton are two that immediately spring to mind...both regulars playing top flight football at centre-half. I think Caton holds the record for most games played at centre-half before hitting 20.
Kevin Beattie and Tommy Caton are two that immediately spring to mind...both regulars playing top flight football at centre-half. I think Caton holds the record for most games played at centre-half before hitting 20.
Will he be playing initially for the under 18's or is his skill level good enough to go straight to the reserves. Or both to break him in
Yeah I know he played regularly at 17 - but i consider it a a lot easier in Holland than in Premier League today or in Italy in the late 80s - so I excluded him
From what others have said in this topic...
He's quite the physical specimen so I expect to see him in the reserves.
I don't think he'll go into the reserves, having great physicality means his transition will be easier but I don't think that necessarily means he'll be going into the U23s straight away. Besides, Fish and Bernard have been brilliant this season, I can't see him displacing either of them.
EDIT: Well, scratch that, Bernard has now gone out on loan.
EDIT: Well, scratch that, Bernard has now gone out on loan.
Last edited:
Enter big willy stage left!
If I remember correctly Les Ulis is also the club where Thierry Henry and Evra started. Not bad.
Built like a tank and can ping the ball around like Scholes. Why are we not in for him?
Because he's highly valued and been promised a big future at PSG?
Well obviously that - what else ?
This thread has gone crazy. You're all talking about some unnamed PSG player in a thread about a United player.
Brilliant story from the lad and fantastic gesture from Martial. Would have been a dream come true for many of he kids.
Bitshiabu?
Very assured performance at the back on debut for our youngest player at u18 level. Technically strong, along with his physicality and a good turn of pace. Gave us a solid platform/springboard to dominate the game.
Spotted in a walking boot after an injury against Salford City. Per twitter
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
That was in November last year. Hopefully he's recovering well and the injury isn't too serious.
Yeah, I keep looking out for him on the team sheet each week and still no sign of him.
Very bad luck that he picked up a lengthy injury so soon after joining. He sounds promising with good physical and technical attributes for a centre back so I'm looking forward to him returning to action and getting to see him perform.
We`ve been unlucky with those nasty injuries lately. Both Emeran and Mejia were two top talents that missed over a year of development due to injury right from the start.
Going back a bit Chong missed most of his first year due to a knee injury too.