Manchester United’s pre-season forward of the 2024/25 marketing campaign is up and working, with Erik ten Hag working via his choices after being backed by the membership with a brand new contract.
The primary of 5 scheduled friendlies already within the books, with a very younger United facet narrowly overwhelmed by Rosenborg in Norway final weekend. Nearly all of the first-team squad have been unavailable for the journey to Trondheim because of both holidaying after worldwide responsibility or engaged on particular person health programmes again at Carrington. It’s anticipated to be a equally youthful group that heads to Scotland for a pleasant towards Rangers at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium.
It follows an identical sample to final summer time when a younger squad of gamers was chosen for a pair of early friendlies in Norway and Scotland, adopted by the first-team then happening the primary summer time tour to America. However the alternative was there for kids to earn themselves a spot in that tour squad, one which was taken by the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Omari Forson.
As soon as they’ve confronted Rangers, United will once more be heading again stateside.
Listed below are 5 kids that followers needs to be maintaining a tally of this summer time…
Age: 20
Place: Midfield
With Casemiro captaining the primary half XI towards Rosenborg, Toby Collyer was the participant chosen by Ten Hag to put on the armband after the break in Norway.
The defensive-minded midfielder had been rewarded for his progress with a brand new contract simply two days earlier than that recreation, which now guarantees to maintain him at Outdated Trafford till the summer time of 2027. He additionally featured on the first-team bench eight occasions final season.
Age: 18
Place: Proper-back
One other who caught the attention of Ten Hag final season and was commonly used to plug the injury-related gaps within the first-team squad was teenage full-back Habeeb Ogunneye.
The London-born participant was 15 when he made his debut at Beneath-18 degree in 2021 and has made spectacular progress within the years since. Ogunneye, who changed Aaron Wan-Bissaka at half-time of the Rosenborg pleasant, may also play as a 3rd centre-back in a again three, or as a wing-back.
Age: 17
Place: Left-back
United’s issues at left-back are lastly easing after Luke Shaw began the Euro 2024 last and Tyrell Malacia has finally returned to coaching, however there may be nonetheless an opportunity for Harry Amass to stake his declare this summer time with neither senior participant prone to be concerned for not less than a couple of weeks.
Amass was solely 16 when he was first invited by Ten Hag to take part in a senior coaching session final season. He has even lately been namedropped by Shaw as a younger participant to be careful for.
Age: 18
Place: Winger
It was 26 targets and assists in 35 appearances final season throughout varied ranges and competitons for Manchester native Ethan Williams, together with the winner within the Beneath-18 Premier League last.
Williams already has a repute for his pure two-footedness, a talent that the majority gamers even on the very highest degree are missing. He sometimes operates off the left flank however really began on the correct towards Rosenborg to make means for Marcus Rashford.
Age: 18
Place: Striker
Essentially the most well-known of United’s new crop of children is Ethan Wheatley, by advantage of getting made three first-team appearances in direction of the tip of final season – within the course of, he grew to become the landmark 250th academy participant to make his senior debut.
Wheatley, who hails from Stockport like Kobbie Mainoo and fills an identical bodily body to Rasmus Hojlund and new arrival Joshua Zirkzee, is lethal in entrance of objective. He scored 9 occasions in eight Beneath-18 Premier League video games final season, together with a hat-trick towards Liverpool.
