Rank The Talents

Not including Nick Powell and Henriquez, I'd go:

1. Michael Keane - seems a cert to make it with us.

2. Josh Harrop - quite young, but I've not seen a young player here with as much natural ability for a long, long time.

3. Mats Daehli - has a brain beyond his years and great technical ability. Think he has a good chance of making it here.

4. Andreas Perreira - first-season, but I think he'll soon become the best of our 'support strikers'. More of a goal threat than Januzaj which does it for me.

5. Adnan Januzaj - He is very mature, and very technically astute. Has a great chance of making it with us, but will need to grow and start applying himself a bit more for me.

6. Jack Barmby - another one of our 'not very English, English players'. Great dribbler and finisher. One of the most important attributes I look for in young attacking players is self-belief - they are the players that are meant to decide games, I don't like attackers who play in an apologetic manner. Barmby has the right arrogance to trust his ability in all situations.

7. Joe Rothwell - Has a great toolbox, good technique, shot, passing and reading of the game.

8. Davide Petrucci - I reckon he is very close to being first-team level right now, although the fact that there has been little indication of him getting a chance so far is why I have him so low down. He is physically ready and technically good enough. Just needs a bit of confidence I reckon. I feel his future, if with us, will be in a Michael Carrick/Pirlo type of role. He isn't really dynamic enough for the final third, but can tackle, has good feet and a good range of passing.

9. James Wilson - He is doing all of the right things at the moment. Scores goals and has great pace/movement. Not sure he'd be as dominant when he steps up though.

10. Will Keane - put him here because I just remembered him. Realistically, he should be at least half way up. He is one of the best finishers at the club, and has great technique too. Think he can go on to be a great second-striker, as he has a bit of Sheringham about him. His first loan spell will be key.
 
lysglimt said:
I can make a list later - (as I am at work now I can't) - but my feeling is that Michael Keane is seriously underrated in here. He is playing regularly at a top-club in the Championship as a defender

Imo - he is top 3. He has every skill required to succeed at United.
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I have to say I agree about Michael Keane although I will openly admit I don't see as much youth/reserve matches as a lot on here. I did watch a bit of that youth cup winning team of 2010 and thought that would be the closest thing to rival the class of 92 but due to other reasons it hasn't quite worked out. I surprised to say out of that team I think M.Keane is the most likely to make it and I say surprised because in the youth team I thought he was quite average but he seems to have made great development since joining up with the reserves. I was sure Pogba would make it here but obviously he has forced his move, Morrision in the youth team was as talented as any youngster I've seen but sadly a head case who could not be helped. The other player I was a huge fan of from that team would be Will Keane who is just outstanding but such a serious injury could ruin his chances he could get passed that but he was already at a stage where teams wanted to loan him from the PL and only 19 and think he was up there with Lukaku based on what I had seen but he will probably be 21 before he can even get back to the level he was at this summer so them 2 years could be very costly in his career at United with the likes of Henriquez and Wilson about.
 
1. where's the unsung Ben Pearson?
2. i hope Harrop's not being included just because of that snazzy Youth Cup skill from last year!

caveats: think of how many actually 'make it', when the last true graduate was (Evans), and then the cherry on top of SAF's pending retirement. going to be a tightly ran race!
 
Cevno said:
9) Andreas Pereira - This guy was coveted by allegedly all top clubs before he came here and the Youtube Videos were impressive too. :drool: Hasn't quite shown those silky skills yet, but he has just arrived this season and had a few injurires. Quietly though has managed to show his quality in different ways to that video. His passing is quick and assured and he can dictate the tempo in the u18 games. Has a good free kick and can score a few goals for MF too.
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.....

Well, those are my thoughts atleast.
 
I've not had time to watch our youth games for a while, but from what I have seen this season, Daehli's head and shoulders above the rest now.

Barmby is also extremely talented. He just seems very lightweight and fragile, even for his age group. Cleverley was apparently the same though and it just meant he came through a bit later.

Januzaj looks a good footballer but I've not seen him be able to impose himself on a game yet. It's all a bit too Arsenal, but a) he's young (Daehli was similar last year) and b) I've not really seen enough of him to know how accurate my own assement is.

Periera's an excellent footballer. Far too early to say how much use he can make of that. I've seen him play twice and the ability over what other players have is obvious.

Not including the players already in the reserves. Of them there's Powell (obviously) who really sticks out. Keane (striker) as well had become far too good for that level before his injury...and the fullback who's name I can't be bothered to spell (played for us against Newcastle in the cup). It's important to remember just how huge the step is up to the first team when you're talking about one of the top first team sides in Europe. If we get one first team player from each crop we'll be doing very well.


There's others I've been told good things about but haven't had a chance to watch yet.
 
Januzaj is older than Daehli and has already been promoted to the U21, noods.

Did you saw him yesterday against Arsenal?
He was very good.
 
Really rate Michael Keane. I think his big problem will be that he has Evans, Jones and Smalling ahead of him as the younger CBs. Vida probably has a couple of years in him too. He will find it difficult breaking into the first team. Even for cup games.
 
Cevno said:
.....

Well, those are my thoughts atleast.
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Fair enough.

Still early for him.

Imo although youtube videos make most decent players look like Messi but could clearly see the potential Periera has. Will really pick up next season imo.
 
KM said:
Januzaj is older than Daehli and has already been promoted to the U21, noods.

Did you saw him yesterday against Arsenal?
He was very good.
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I've got it on Sky+ to watch next time the insomnia kicks in...I need to start having less of a life again.

I've seen him in the reserves a few times and he was finding it difficult not to let the games pass him by, but I've not seen any of our reserve or youth games since before Christmas.

Daehli just looked like he was taking the piss at U18 level whenever I watche dhim this season. It was like watching David Silva playing keep ball against a bunch of drunks. Interesting to see if he can carry that kind of ability/composure through the ranks.
 
Ole's_toe_poke said:
Really rate Michael Keane. I think his big problem will be that he has Evans, Jones and Smalling ahead of him as the younger CBs. Vida probably has a couple of years in him too. He will find it difficult breaking into the first team. Even for cup games.
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He'll go on loan next year, probably to a Prem team. Maybe even with Leicester if they get Promoted.

Rio would have surely gone by the end of next season, if not this and see no reason why he won't get game time after that. He can play RB too, so that's a plus and he'll start similar to how Evans started in our squad if he's patient enough.

Vidic will probably be replaced with a different type of CB to him. Someone who is great in the air or a big guy.
 
mo0 said:
1. where's the unsung Ben Pearson?
2. i hope Harrop's not being included just because of that snazzy Youth Cup skill from last year!

caveats: think of how many actually 'make it', when the last true graduate was (Evans), and then the cherry on top of SAF's pending retirement. going to be a tightly ran race!
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I don't know what particular skill you are referring to, but I included Harrop simply because he has a grace and glide on the ball that is reminiscent of some players I dare not mention in such a thread!
 
mo0 said:
1. where's the unsung Ben Pearson?
2. i hope Harrop's not being included just because of that snazzy Youth Cup skill from last year!

caveats: think of how many actually 'make it', when the last true graduate was (Evans), and then the cherry on top of SAF's pending retirement. going to be a tightly ran race!
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Rossi and Pique also became top players from the same reserve group as Evans. They might not be true graduates but then neither are Pereira, Januzaj or Daehli. Those three might have been signed a year or two earlier in age but they were still cherry picked from the continent nonetheless. The OP does state that the players selected are to include those that we predict will compete at a high level elsewhere i.e. Premier League level or so.
 
noodlehair said:
I've not had time to watch our youth games for a while, but from what I have seen this season, Daehli's head and shoulders above the rest now.

Barmby is also extremely talented. He just seems very lightweight and fragile, even for his age group. Cleverley was apparently the same though and it just meant he came through a bit later.

Januzaj looks a good footballer but I've not seen him be able to impose himself on a game yet. It's all a bit too Arsenal, but a) he's young (Daehli was similar last year) and b) I've not really seen enough of him to know how accurate my own assement is.

Periera's an excellent footballer. Far too early to say how much use he can make of that. I've seen him play twice and the ability over what other players have is obvious.

Not including the players already in the reserves. Of them there's Powell (obviously) who really sticks out. Keane (striker) as well had become far too good for that level before his injury...and the fullback who's name I can't be bothered to spell (played for us against Newcastle in the cup). It's important to remember just how huge the step is up to the first team when you're talking about one of the top first team sides in Europe. If we get one first team player from each crop we'll be doing very well.


There's others I've been told good things about but haven't had a chance to watch yet.
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He really isn't. Au contraire.
 
noodlehair said:
I've got it on Sky+ to watch next time the insomnia kicks in...I need to start having less of a life again.

I've seen him in the reserves a few times and he was finding it difficult not to let the games pass him by, but I've not seen any of our reserve or youth games since before Christmas.

Daehli just looked like he was taking the piss at U18 level whenever I watche dhim this season. It was like watching David Silva playing keep ball against a bunch of drunks. Interesting to see if he can carry that kind of ability/composure through the ranks.
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Yep absolutely agree about Daehli. Even Pogba/Morrison weren't as consistently good as Daehli has been this season. I really like James Wilson.
 
mo0 said:
1. where's the unsung Ben Pearson?
2. i hope Harrop's not being included just because of that snazzy Youth Cup skill from last year!

caveats: think of how many actually 'make it', when the last true graduate was (Evans), and then the cherry on top of SAF's pending retirement. going to be a tightly ran race!
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Actually, I would have said that the last graduate was Danny Welbeck... or possibly Tom Cleverley.

We recently have been getting a player through every 3 years or so... I'm hoping with these lads it'll drop to 2 and then 2 of them might make it.
 
backofthenet said:
Actually, I would have said that the last graduate was Danny Welbeck... or possibly Tom Cleverley.

We recently have been getting a player through every 3 years or so... I'm hoping with these lads it'll drop to 2 and then 2 of them might make it.
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Evans, Cleverley and Welbeck are three excellent players too. I would say that only Darren Fletcher since the class of 93 is in the same bracket as those three. It hasn't been a bad few years really.
 
Pogba would have made it too, if he was patient and Morrison/Pique/Rossi etc..

Anyway, this thread is not only about making it here, as that is more tough to predict and depends on various external factors except talent like in Rossi's case we bought Tevez.
 
I can't see the talent in Blackett and Lingard as others does. If any one of them make it at United I will give up my prediction on players.
 
Good idea for a thread. Can't be arsed ranking all of them, but out of the academy age group of players Daehli is the standout in my opinion. This could change as Pereira develops, but I think he's the one with the the best combination of talent and maturity. There were a few comparisons as to who he was like before we signed him, but he does actually remind me a lot of Iniesta with some of his play down the left. I hope he makes a smooth transition to U21 level because I genuinely think he's a Morrison-esque special talent.

After him, it's probably Januzaj given that he looks now to be starting to translate talent into performances and moments of magic at U21 level. Would like to see him really taking a hold on games because he takes the piss when on form.

Pearson is probably next in line for me after that, and it would be an absolute godsend if he developed over the next few years and became as good as I think he could end up being. Love watching him and agree that there's a bit of Scholes in him. Really good ability and maturity.

Reserves:

Powell looks the most developed out of all the U21 regulars for me at the moment - thought he even had a look about him last night which suggested he was confident in his own ability. I would've said Will Keane, but it's difficult to say how he will return after his injury. Michael Keane's a top talent too but I look at how Jonny Evans was around about the same age and realise that there's a bit of a gap there. Henriquez...difficult to say, to be honest. Not seen him for Wigan yet and the reserves hasn't really been the best place to judge him.

Really, it's going to be interesting to see just how Fergie/the next manager introduce this lot. Even though it's perhaps a couple of years and loans away, you'd think on the face of things that Pearson has the clearest route into the first team out of the all the midfielders/attackers given his position and attributes, but even then that's dependant on how he develops, how Cleverley/Anderson develop and whether we sign a first team centre midfielder.

Powell, Daehli and Januzaj...I've no idea what we're going to do here. This is why the Zaha signing seems a bit needless to me unless he is an absolutely top class talent (which he may well be). All 3 of these could've been given games on the wing, but we're not going to sign Zaha for that much money and not afford him game time. I would never rule it all out ending up looking as logical and as calculated as the Smalling/Evans/Jones situation currently looks, but I'm not sure how this will work out. Powell is in the exact same situation as Pogba was currently (hindered by our 2 central midfielder formation), and Daehli/Januzaj are up against a pretty extraordinary amount of established players. Welbeck, Zaha, Valencia, Young, Kagawa, Nani, even Hernandez.

Something will have to give and players will have to be sold/dropped from the squad for them to get chances. This is assuming they develop smoothly throughout the course of their time in the U21s obviously. For all we know, Daehli could undergo a complete collapse and be nowhere in a couple of years. There'd genuinely be something crazy about the situation if in 5 years we were looking back and reflecting on how none of Pogba/Morrison/Petrucci/Daehli made it here, though.
 
noodlehair said:
Yes he is.
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I call it "Why didn't I eat my veggies?"
 
Giggsforever said:
I can't see the talent in Blackett and Lingard as others does. If any one of them make it at United I will give up my prediction on players.
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I am with you on that one. I think that Blackett looked good when he first burst onto the scene, but he doesn't seem to have progressed since. Lingard is a player that I have never really seen as a future first teamer here.
 
Not a lot of love for Ioannou, I think he's got a lot of talent.
 
Lingard's a hard-working and technically adept player, if the cards fall his way he could make it here. Blackett is a physical specimen, not kicked on since last year but he's strong and good technically.
 
Blackett is great Physically and Technically good too. Just needs to get better in the air for his size and mainly get better positional awareness.

If he gains that with experience, he has a chance here.
 
mo0 said:
1. where's the unsung Ben Pearson?
2. i hope Harrop's not being included just because of that snazzy Youth Cup skill from last year!

caveats: think of how many actually 'make it', when the last true graduate was (Evans), and then the cherry on top of SAF's pending retirement. going to be a tightly ran race!
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I don't know which skill you're talking about but yeah I did include him in my list purely for that one game against Swansea alone. However he hasn't really made the step up this year, might have been because of how the reserves have changed I'm not sure. I only included him at number 10 as a "punt" in the hope that he will come good. But as you say, you can't just judge someone on one game alone but feck me he was brilliant in that game. Not sure if he's as good as he was that day or not, have you seen more of him than I have?
 
Jimy_Hills_Chin said:
I am with you on that one. I think that Blackett looked good when he first burst onto the scene, but he doesn't seem to have progressed since. Lingard is a player that I have never really seen as a future first teamer here.
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I didn't see it with Lingard until I saw him on the summer tour, I thought he slotted in quite well and looked right at home along the first teasers. He was carrying the ball well and played with a lot of confidence and positive movement, I think he's a dark horse that needs a decent loan spell to showcase his talent. It's tough for him as he's so physically lightweight but I have hopes for him.

I also really like Blackett, preferred him to Fryers anyway.
 
I like Lingard a lot but I'm not really sure he has much of a chance of making it here. He's very good technically and fits right in with the pass and move style of play the Cleverley and Welbeck like to play.
 
Hmm, very tough to judge so many players of different ages together, but here goes. I'm going to exclude Powell and Henriquez as they're hardly youth products.

1. Will Keane
2. Mats Daehli
3. Adnan Januzaj
4. Andreas Periera
5. Ben Pearson
6. Gyliano Van Velzen
7. James Wilson
8. John Cofie
9. Tom Thorpe
10. Michael Keane
 
Lingard is a bit of a project due to his size but apart from that he ticks an awful lot of boxes. I wouldn't be too surprised if he made it.
 
Widnes said:
Why would they be discussed in the youth/reserve forum? they are established first team regulars.
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It was in response to someone saying Evans was the last kid to make it.
 
Jimy_Hills_Chin said:
Rossi and Pique also became top players from the same reserve group as Evans. They might not be true graduates but then neither are Pereira, Januzaj or Daehli. Those three might have been signed a year or two earlier in age but they were still cherry picked from the continent nonetheless. The OP does state that the players selected are to include those that we predict will compete at a high level elsewhere i.e. Premier League level or so.
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All the names you mention have come through our Academy and are considered Academy products.
 
Not including Powell/Henriquez

1. Will Keane
2. Adnan Januzaj
3. Mats Daelhi
4. James Wilson
5. Andreas Pereira
6. Jack Barmby
7. Davide Petrucci
8. Ben Pearson
9. James Weir
10. Gollini
11. Vermijl
12. Thorpe.

Yeah. I cheated.
 
Elliott said:
It was in response to someone saying Evans was the last kid to make it.
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Oh my apologies I hadn't seen that one and with no quote just thought it was asking why nobody mentioned them two, was baffled.
 
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