Do this talented Manchester United trio show hope for their academy?

Add as preferred source on Google

For the past three seasons, there has been a permanent dark cloud hanging over Manchester United’s training ground. Often, this has been relating to United’s seemingly indefinite slip in form, but more recently this season, attention has focused upon how the club; famous for producing young exciting talent, is failing to maintain its heritage as a producer, with fierce criticism being fired at the club’s youth system. This has been compounded by the increase in investment from neighbours Manchester City into their youth system, with some arguing that City now have the better talent in youth development as well as on the first team pitch.

Embed from Getty Images

Indeed, it looked this season as if the doom-mongers were right about United’s academy, when youth coach for over a decade Paul McGuinness unexpectedly parted company with The Red Devils, admittedly following a period which had seen his youth side take just 11 points from 19 games. McGuinness’ departure opened the door for Class of 92 scholar Nicky Butt to take the reins and Butt was quick to dismiss criticism of the academy, but is the former United midfielder right?

It is difficult to criticise United’s ability to bring through young talent when they produce the impressive Marcus Rashford, who has seemingly effortlessly eased into life in Louis Van Gaal’s starting XI. A Mancunian from birth, the 18-year-old’s rapid rise to becoming United’s next brightest star has certainly eased pressure on the club’s academy and although Rashford still has a long career ahead of him and plenty still to prove, it has been an impressive start from the youngster. Although Rashford has received plenty of plaudits for his role in United’s unlikely recent wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, he is not the only academy player to make the step up to first team action at Old Trafford.

United’s defence has been decimated this season with injuries, with Van Gaal having to dig into the reserves to plug the gaps in his first team squad. Left-back has been a particularly tricky role to fill, thus requiring the introduction Cameron Borthwick-Jackson into the fold. A local lad; like Rashford, Borthwick-Jackson has impressed in his handful of Premier League appearances this season with the 19-year-old showcasing his talent as an attacking and defensive full-back. Although at fault for Diego Costa’s last gasp equaliser against United in February, that has done little to dent the confidence of the left-back nor his manager, who declared himself as “proud” of the youngster despite his lapse. Like Rashford, Borthwick-Jackson is another example of a youth team player seizing his opportunity at Old Trafford and taking advantage of a side struggling for identity and success following the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Both players certainly have not looked out of their depth and are success stories for staff in United’s youth system.

Embed from Getty Images

However, there is an argument that United’s academy is also becoming a system that fine-tunes talent, shipping in youngsters from across the world and then polishing them into Premier League players, rather than finding those rough diamonds along Salford Quays. Take Timothy Fosu-Mensah, for example. The 18-year-old Dutch defender has looked relatively comfortable in the handful of appearances he has made for the club this season, his first in the starting eleven since his move from Ajax in 2014. Fosu-Mensah is a prime example of United buying in academy talent and then developing them themselves, but can the Dutchman count; if he becomes a star, as a success for Manchester United’s academy, or Ajax’s? Both clubs would certainly feel the victor in that argument, but perhaps at United; where home-grown talent is a hallmark of success for any manager in the Old Trafford dugout, there is a slow shift to importing young talent, letting someone else do the hard work of finding youngsters before snapping them up for themselves and developing them at a later age. This could be an argument that is wrongly interpreted as representing the demise of United’s academy. The Old Trafford outfit might not bring through a class of predominately successful Mancunians; like they did in 1992, but are developing talented youngsters from across the world. There is of course, nothing wrong with that, but it certainly signifies an ideological shift from what many standing in the Stretford End are used to, although they have been undoubtedly impressed with the prospect of Fosu-Mensah, and also Andreas Pereira.

It would be unfair to label this as a problem created by David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal in the post-Ferguson era, as it should be remembered that even United’s most successful manager did not always appreciate the fine talents bubbling away in the youth system, with the startling case of Paul Pogba being the most obvious example. That said, in a time where United are falling behind their rivals on the pitch in the Premier League, focus will always then be magnified on where else the club is seemingly falling behind too. With Rashford and Borthwick-Jackson, United can pride themselves on having two new Mancunian youngsters propping up their first team squad and the pair should definitely be seen as successes for United’s youth development. Admittedly, not all of United’s recent graduates have been overriding successes; namely Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair, but what is more interesting is that United are now playing catch up with the world’s elite in finding young talent from across the world, rather than just picking them off the playing fields in Manchester.

Embed from Getty Images

No, it is definitely not all doom and gloom in United’s academy and in a season of up and downs, the produce of the youth system has definitely been; on the whole at least, a positive. Manchester United’s unpredictability is almost becoming a new trademark of the club; perhaps an unwanted one, but this stretches to the youth system too. Who would have thought that Marcus Rashford could have such an impact but if he can, maybe United have another player ready to do the same?

Featured Image: All rights reserved by ninhthuan510