Manchester United’s largely forgettable season has been brightened by the emergence of some promising academy talents, as highlighted by the Red Devils’ managing director in a recent interview.
In a season that has given Manchester United fans little cause for cheer, the emergence of several youth team players has been a major positive for the club. The squad was under a lot of stress because of injuries to key players, but Louis van Gaal has managed to steady the boat to an extent with the aid of his academy graduates. Marcus Rashford, in particular, has seized the opportunity with both hands, scoring in memorable victories against Arsenal, Midtjylland and most recently, Manchester City.
Manchester United managing director Richard Arnold expressed his delight at the progress of the club’s academy talent in a recent interview.
“We’re committed to making sure we’re playing the highest levels,” said Arnold, in an interview with CNBC.
“You’ve seen that from the club and directors in terms of that success off the pitch, enabling us to have investment into the team and I’m really excited about the young players, I think the other thing that’s come through this year is you know you seen the success of our academy system and the way it has worked and going back, you see the young players coming through.
“There’s a whole army of people in tears, seeing score the first time and that’s an important part of what are and we’re all set for the future.”
The youth brigade
Marcus Rashford has become the new hero at Old Trafford, playing a crucial role in United’s victories against the bigger sides. A brace against Arsenal and the winner against Manchester City at the Theatre of Dreams has given the fans something to cheer about in an otherwise underwhelming season. Another academy graduate who has found his place this season is Jesse Lingard, with the Englishman making the right wing his own in the past few months.
The likes of Tim Fosu-Mensah, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Guillermo Varela and Donald Love are other fresh faces who have stepped up in the absence of key senior players. Although this may not be a repeat of the class of ’92, the future is definitely looking bright for the young prospects at Manchester United.
