Ethan Wheatley | On loan at Walsall

Came off the bench when England U18s were 1-0 down against Morocco. Scored two and won it for England.
 
He seems to have settled into international football with aplomb. Hopefully he can take the confidence into next season.
 
If McKenna stays at Ipswich that would be an amazing loan for him and maybe one other top youth. He probably wouldn't play much but being around the fringes of a PL team and if he could knick a few goals and raise his reputation that would be great.

Himself and Williams have to be the most improved players this year?
 
Ali Dia said:
If McKenna stays at Ipswich that would be an amazing loan for him and maybe one other top youth. He probably wouldn't play much but being around the fringes of a PL team and if he could knick a few goals and raise his reputation that would be great.

Himself and Williams have to be the most improved players this year?
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Wheatley for sure. Williams was very good last season too. Wheatley, McAllister and Kingdon for me.
 
Next season will be interesting. With his meteoric rise I would not be surprised if he will make a wave during pre-season.
 
Really good reaction to being (deservedly) benched. A lot of players, especially someone with first-team games under their belt, might react negatively but looked really hungry tonight.
 
Gungerz said:
Really good reaction to being benched. A lot of players, especially someone with first-team games under their belt, might react negatively but looked really hungry tonight.
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Yeah his body language overall looked really positive. High-fiving and encouraging teammates etc.
 
Did well tonight after being dropped to bench for his terrible display against Doncaster. All well taken goals with good composure.

Also looks like his holdup play improved as won some aerial duels and wasn't being shrugged off the ball easily. Not sure how much of that is down to Norwich guys being useless at it though.
 
Could be nothing, but I have a feeling we’ll find out about a loan deal inside the following two weeks. Hopefully so, Biancheri & Obi need more challenges. As does Louie Bradbury perhaps.

 
top1whoisman said:
Would be good to get a promotion under his belt.

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Yes, could be a good move.

They had their top scorer, Nathan Lowe, recalled by Stoke earlier in the month after a very impressive loan spell in the first half of the season.

I don't know if they've replaced him with someone else and Wheatley would just be cover, but if Wheatley is the replacement loan for him then that would be big shoes to fill.
 
Tweet deleted. So much for that ”exclusive”.

Edit: I take that back.
 
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EW:
“It is my first loan so I am very excited to get going. The Club is currently top of the league so I am coming into a winning environment and I am looking forward to that and hopefully we can kick on for the rest of the season and I can help the team to do good things
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.
“I had interest from other places but they didn’t have as many games left in the season and a big thing for me is earning game time and trying to play as much as possible in the men's game and hopefully I can do that and stamp my mark and impress.
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“Manchester United set us up for work experience loans previously where we would go to different clubs for a week at a time so I have had a fair few experiences of being round a first team environment now so I am looking forward to settling into this one and hopefully doing well.”
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Head coach Mat Sadler:
“I have known Ethan for some time and he is a player that I have admired for some time as well.

“He is very quick, he’s a big lad and he wants to score goals so he is someone that I am really looking forward to working with on his first loan and I am looking forward to being part of his development.

“He is exactly our type of player, he’s an incredible athlete and he’s the type of player that we like working with and developing.

“We have had to remain patient for this one, we have had to wait to get him in and I am delighted that he is here.

“I want to thank everyone at Manchester United for allowing us to be part of the development of Ethan and I am looking forward to seeing him for the remainder of the season with us here.”
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Do we have a recent example of a player from our academy going to a lower league ( I'm talking League 1/2, not championship) and still making a career with us?

We've had quite a few players go to the lower leagues but often seems to be a death knell to their chances of making it here. Hope Ethan can buck that trend.
 
King7Eric said:
Do we have a recent example of a player from our academy going to a lower league ( I'm talking League 1/2, not championship) and still making a career with us?

We've had quite a few players go to the lower leagues but often seems to be a death knell to their chances of making it here. Hope Ethan can buck that trend.
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On the flipside we’ve had several players sitting on the bench at higher levels. Apart from Henderson I don’t think we have any but half a season playing week in, week out in League Two can be very good for their future. League One/Championship next season if they do well.
 
Championship worked with Amad. League 1 and below... Yet to see someone come back and make it as a first team player at United at least since the days of Beckham breaking through

I would think it suggests they wont make it here and we'll be letting them leave eventually. They might still go to a championship club if they do particularly well in a lower league loan so not the end of the world for them, but a mile away from making it in the United first team.
 
top1whoisman said:
On the flipside we’ve had several players sitting on the bench at higher levels. Apart from Henderson I don’t think we have any but half a season playing week in, week out in League Two can be very good for their future. League One/Championship next season if they do well.
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No it makes much more sense from the player's perspective to be able to develop. I just meant this likely means the club probably reckon he won't be able to make it here.
 
King7Eric said:
No it makes much more sense from the player's perspective to be able to develop. I just meant this likely means the club probably reckon he won't be able to make it here.
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It’s not about the club, it’s about the player and finding him a loan club that fits. It’s been reported that clubs in the leagues above were actually interested, but all parties decided that this was the right move for this spring.
 
King7Eric said:
No it makes much more sense from the player's perspective to be able to develop. I just meant this likely means the club probably reckon he won't be able to make it here.
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Or maybe you’re just overthinking it. He’s 19 and needs playing time at the pro level. It’s pointless sending him on loan to a championship side where he’s not going to get minutes.

Player development isn’t linear.
 
I wouldn’t say him going to Walsall having just turned 19 is an indication he won’t make it at this level. It’s a bit more difficult for a striker to find a good loan these days when most teams play with just 1 striker and are not willing to have a youngster fill that role. Even Championship would be hard for him to find place in.
 
top1whoisman said:
It’s not about the club, it’s about the player and finding him a loan club that fits. It’s been reported that clubs in the leagues above were actually interested, but all parties decided that this was the right move for this spring.
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elmo said:
Or maybe you’re just overthinking it. He’s 19 and needs playing time at the pro level. It’s pointless sending him on loan to a championship side where he’s not going to get minutes.

Player development isn’t linear.
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Fair enough. Like I said I hope I'm wrong and he can buck the trend and make it here. Just disappointed as I thought he could have had a higher level loan. But let's see. Hopefully I'm eating my words in a few years time.
 
King7Eric said:
Fair enough. Like I said I hope I'm wrong and he can buck the trend and make it here. Just disappointed as I thought he could have had a higher level loan. But let's see. Hopefully I'm eating my words in a few years time.
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Not saying he will definitely make it here, in fact if I had to guess right now I’d say no. But it’s not like the club indicates that by ”sending” him on loan to a low league.
 
Ekeke said:
Championship worked with Amad. League 1 and below... Yet to see someone come back and make it as a first team player at United at least since the days of Beckham breaking through

I would think it suggests they wont make it here and we'll be letting them leave eventually. They might still go to a championship club if they do particularly well in a lower league loan so not the end of the world for them, but a mile away from making it in the United first team.
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Some have done well away from Man Utd though. Kovar is doing alright as understudy at Leverkusen after loans at Swindon, Burton and Sparta Prague while at Man Utd. Vitek still has a very good chance of becoming a first teamer at Man Utd, if not quite first choice, after a loan at Accrington Stanley last season and now in Austria. Though I guess it's different with goalkeepers who generally get given more time to develop.
 
I think he really needs this. He had a great season last year in the U18s and got his first minutes in the senior team deservedly. But he has struggled for form this year and hasn’t kicked on yet. So a loan away might help him develop.
 
Hope that he finds the uptake in development that we saw at the beginning of last season and he has a successful loan. Like Williams I didn’t see it when they were first coming through but both had spells of form where they showed real progress. Think these loans are good even just to get them familiar with time away from United comforts. Prepare for all eventualities.
 
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