I know, I know… you don’t come onto a Liverpool forum to read praise about Manchester United but in this context it is hard to deny that they are an excellent place for young players with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Dan James all getting lots of football and plenty of talented players waiting in the wings for their opportunity as well.
Of course they have a collection of expensively assembled prospects but Man Utd also thrive at developing young talent - seemingly boxing off the market for elite players in west Manchester while Man City mop up in the east.
Solksjaer has his flaws, using young players isn’t one of them, expect to see plenty more involvement from the youth squads this season. As a disclaimer, I decided Mason Greenwood was too established to make this list - make no mistake he is a tremendous player.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Ondrej Mastny |
| CB | Bjorn Hardley |
| CB | Martin Svidersky |
| RB | Charlie Wellens |
| LB | Alvaro Fernandez |
| CM | Hannibal Mejbri |
| CM | Charlie Savage |
| CM | Zidane Iqbal |
| RW | Anthony Elanga |
| LW | Shola Shoretire |
| CF | Joe Hugill |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Radek Vitek |
| CB | Rhys Bennett |
| CB | Willy Kambwala |
| RB | Marc Jurado |
| LB | Logan Pye |
| CM | Daniel Gore |
| CM | Kobbie Mainoo |
| CM | Isak Hansen-Aaroen |
| RW | Omari Forson |
| LW | Ethan Ennis |
| CF | Charlie McNeil |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Anthony Elanga
- Position: LW
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Swedish
The lightning quick Elanga was signed from Malmo in 2014 and has developed quickly through the ranks at Old Trafford. Capable of playing from both wings, Elanga is a right footed forward who has great technique and strikes the ball cleanly without much backlift. He has no problem running at defenders and produces some sublime pieces of skill. He managed to break into the Man Utd team towards the end of the season and it is no surprise that he overtook Anthony Martial in the pecking order - as an almost identical player on significantly lower wages his emergence paves the way for Martial to leave. A Swedish U21 player, Elanga will become a full international soon adding pace to a desperately slow Swedish team. An impressive start in pre-season shows he is here to stay.
Amad Diallo
- Position: RW
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Ivorian
Having paid a reported £37m for Diallo from Atalanta in January, Diallo shoots to the top of the ‘one to watch’ list for the upcoming season - although Solksjaer has hinted at a loan spell being in his near future. In three PL2 appearances Diallo scored four goals and contributed three assists before then breaking into the Man Utd first team and providing an assist on debut. Blessed with an explosive burst of pace, Diallo floats around the pitch picking up pockets of space and using his pace to drive into more dangerous areas. For a forward thinking player, his pressing and love of a tackle are remarkable. Sorry to say it but Man Utd got themselves a real one here - whether he is challenging for a first team role this season or heading out on loan, Diallo is sure to become a nuisance for many years.
Shola Shoretire
- Position: AM
- Age: 17
- Nationality: English
I went back and forward on this one. Hannibal Mejbri is a big name in English youth football at the moment and the extremely talented Tunisian is older making him seemingly a more viable prospect for the near future. However, in the end I couldn’t overlook Shola Shoretire, the former Newcastle and Man City midfielder who I think is the best seventeen year old in England. Playing from either the left wing or just behind the striker, Shoretire has been totally dominant in U23 football scoring ten times in twenty one appearances while just sixteen years old. He made his breakthrough with a few minutes against Newcastle and Wolves in the Premier League and is almost certain to earn more minutes this season, especially as he has impressed in preseason outings. It’s hard to get away from comparison’s to Man City’s prodigy Phil Foden and I certainly won’t back away from it either - they are similarly talented, pacey and technically gifted. If managed properly Shoretire can be one of the best players in the league.