The day has come. 75,000 will pack out Old Trafford this evening, to take in the FA Youth Cup final. Ahead of that game, we’ve drawn up a list of three players to keep an eye on.
For the 2021/22 campaign, the pride of Manchester United has been the youth sides. The senior side is massively struggling right now, though Erik ten Hag has been tasked with getting that right next season.
Our U18s find themselves in an FA Youth Cup final this evening. It’s United’s first in over a decade. With that in mind, we’ve decided to take a closer look at three players with first-team potential.
These lads will be looking to follow the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard Michael Keane and Ravel Morrison. All of whom featured in our last Youth Cup final win in 2011.
Alejandro Garnacho
First up, we have the star of the class. Alejandro Garnacho was given the chance to make his full Manchester United debut not too long ago, while already earning an Argentina international call-up.
This young man can play, make no mistake about that. He also found the back of the net in the semi-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Now a U23s regular, Garnacho has scored five goals in the Youth Cup run, looking a cut above the rest in that attacking role he plays so well.
Tonight’s game will no doubt be his final farewell to U18 football, so let’s hope he can steal the show and help his side to victory.
Charlie McNeill
Charlie McNeill made the move from Manchester City to Manchester United not too long ago, with the young man having scored a sublime 600 goals at youth level. The 18-year-old is probably the deadliest finisher I’ve seen when staring down on goal.
Coming from Droylsden, McNeill scored 110 goals in 72 games for Manchester City’s U15 side, before making the move back to the red half of Manchester.
McNeill grabbed himself a couple of goals in the semi-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with his stock already on the rise. The young Englishman has a long-term sponsorship with Adidas, which is another indicator of his incredible talent.
Marc Jurado
Perhaps the lesser-known name on the list. Back in 2020, United signed Alvaro Fernandez from Real Madrid and Marc Jurado from FC Barcelona in an effort to bolster their full-back options.
Jurado, a right-back by trade, has been supremely impressive since a move to Old Trafford worth around £1.5m. He’s also played at both U18 and U23 level to date, with this likely to be his last action for the former.
With Diogo Dalot hardly setting the world alight and Aaron Wan-Bissaka not developing as quickly as we’d have liked, there’s every chance Jurado could be involved on our pre-season tour this summer.
Is there anyone else who you think we should keep an eye on this evening? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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