U21s: Manchester United vs Norwich

Yeah. because of the game on Thursday, I don't expect most of these players to be in the squad for Sat.. Which is fine.
City should be a good test. Better than sitting on the bench against Sunderland.

But going forward, I really hope Keane gets a shot. Wouldnt mind playing 2 up top.. Keane and Rooney.. But that isnt going to happen.
 
Well if his 5 goals hasn't put him at the forefront of the managers thinking then that in combination with Januzaj's bad luck might force his hand in Europe/Cup games. I imagine Jones will see another hour on Thursday and the minutes that a lot of the more senior players got will act as the grounding for some competitive minutes over the next couple weeks.
 
Strange that after following "the demise of our youth set-up" so closely in recent weeks and reporting on every loss, the "oh-so" concerned members of the British sports "press" feel they don't need to mention a 7-0 routing! Or maybe it's not pro City enough?
 
The U21s have such fantastic movement. Every one just keep moving non-stop, never static, always looking for space to exploit. Obviously, at that level, it won't be as tight and there will be more space available, but so much brilliant movement. And excellent understanding too. Do you think Joyce would be just as effective at the U18s? They haven't really been good enough for me, from what little I have seen or heard of them.

Also nice to see Memphis's ego wasn't bruised and he put in a solid shift. He did seem a little slow to me from the video posted above, but those that saw the whole game might disagree.

Beautiful lob by Keane. He's got his confidence back, definitely deserves to be in the matchday squad for the FA Cup or the game against Sunderland.

And when will TFM ever get his chance. I've been a massive fan of him since he joined the club. Built like a proper athlete, intelligence, bravery, passing, speed, seems to have it all.
 
SqueakyWeasel said:
Strange that after following "the demise of our youth set-up" so closely in recent weeks and reporting on every loss, the "oh-so" concerned members of the British sports "press" feel they don't need to mention a 7-0 routing! Or maybe it's not pro City enough?
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Nothing strange about it. We had a lot of fringe or first team players in our team while Norwich was a truly young team if I'm not mistaken. The result wasn't a surprise as I understand it from people like @khoazany .

To note just because the media likes to sensationalize under 14 results, doesn't mean we don't have work to do
 
mav_9me said:
Nothing strange about it. We had a lot of fringe or first team players in our team while Norwich was a truly young team if I'm not mistaken. The result wasn't a surprise as I understand it from people like @khoazany .

To note just because the media likes to sensationalize under 14 results, doesn't mean we don't have work to do
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This was a very young Norwich side, pretty much all of their under 21s are out on loan, Cameron King had returned from a serious lay off and Halajko and Neil wanted to keep King at the club to nurture the younger players stepping up to U21 level, he's now missed the last few matches so there's very little experience in that side relative to the level of football.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
We've said this before and then he does nothing much. It is a massive step up from playing a young understrength Norwich to first team football.
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Personally I think Pereira is ready. He has a cockiness about him. Will Keane, on the other hand, has a terrible goal scoring record at senior level in The Championship.
 
mav_9me said:
Nothing strange about it. We had a lot of fringe or first team players in our team while Norwich was a truly young team if I'm not mistaken. The result wasn't a surprise as I understand it from people like @khoazany .

To note just because the media likes to sensationalize under 14 results, doesn't mean we don't have work to do
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Your introduction to irony … :p
 
It would be madness not to give Keane and Pereira a fair chance in the next couple of weeks - and as someone pointed out, yes we did play a young and in fairness not very good Norwich-side. But with the form the 2 of them have shown lately, it sends a message both if we give them a chance and if we don't give them a chance

If Keane after 10 goals in 6 reserve-matches won't be given a chance now - when will he ever be given a chance ? Same for Pereira - if not now, when ?
 
Here's a very detailed match report, which appears to have been written by a 12 year old.

http://www.retrounited.com/u21-report-united-7-0-norwich-city/?

This bit was a concern though:

That brings Keane into the history books as the fourth player to score five for United in a reserve/U21 game, with Danny Webber, Joe Roberts and Mark Roberts being the other ones. Deiniol Graham, however, bettered them all, having six goals in a game to his names on one occasion.
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Keane joins a group of players who have faded into obscurity, which does not bode well for his future.
 
Sassy Colin said:
Here's a very detailed match report, which appears to have been written by a 12 year old.

http://www.retrounited.com/u21-report-united-7-0-norwich-city/?

.
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The author.

Nicolas Berg
Based on age and nationality, you can assume I'm a glory hunter and Solskjær fanboy. Based on what I do on a saturday morning, you can assume that I'm interested in United beyond the first team. Usually pessimistic with a gun loaded by criticism, yet a football romantic who fancies homegrown youth players. Danny Murphy scored the first goal in a United game I experienced live. Watching U18/U21 games regularly.



:eek:

Must have had an unusually upbeat day on Monday, then? :D
 
Ijazz17 said:
Do you think Joyce would be just as effective at the U18s? They haven't really been good enough for me, from what little I have seen or heard of them.
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The current group are suffering from a big imbalance in the positions they play (it's been three or four matches since a CB actually featured for them, for example), but also from the fact that they've recently promoted a handful of their best to the U21s. So while the U21s get to use the very best of an age-group ranging from some 17- and 18-year-olds all the way up to Memphis and Jones - a very big talent pool, basically - the U18s are scratching for scraps.

Which is fine. Football at U18 level is about doing whatever is best for each individual's development, not about preserving team balance or squad size or winning matches and trophies. These things tend to wax and wane - I remember a solid two and a half years where the U21s were choked up with overage, never-going-to-make-it sorts like Macheda, Bebe, Tunnicliffe, King etc and the absurdly talented youngsters in the U18s - Januzaj, Daehli, Pereira, Wilson, Pearson, Rothwell, and many more - couldn't get a look-in despite being more than ready for promotion. They were thrashing every comer - a 7-1 defeat of Newcastle featuring five Wilson goals was one of the best U18s performances I've ever seen - and meanwhile the U21s couldn't buy a win. As you can imagine, at that point everyone and his mum was pointing at the U21s, ignoring the U18s, and saying that our academy was shit. Now it's the other way round.

As I say, these phases come and go in the youth teams, and it rarely has anything to do with the quality of the kids or of the set-up. Let's not forget, the Borthwick-Jackson who's impressing for the first-team was one of those much-bemoaned U18s only a few months ago.
 
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