The next generation
JJ Gabriel & Shea Lacey – Five Man United youngsters who could save the club millions
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Manchester United possess one of the most prestigious academies in the world with an illustrious history of developing elite talent. From the famed Busby Babes to the Class of 92, United have produced some of the best youngsters in English football across generations. Even in recent years, several youngsters have broken through to become established stars with Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo the best examples currently in the first-team.
Manchester United
Most valuable players
There’s no better opportunity for youngsters to impress than pre-season, especially after a major international tournament with leading players afforded extra time off. Michael Carrick included various academy graduates in his travelling squad to face Rosenborg in United’s most recent friendly and more will be involved against Atletico Madrid this weekend. Therefore, we’ve decided to analyse five highly-regarded academy talents, who could save United a fortune in the transfer market by breaking into the first-team.
Five Manchester United academy talents tipped for first-team
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel is one of the most promising youngsters in European football and there’s already so much hype around him. The 15-year-old registered 30 goal contributions in 29 games last season to win the U18 Premier League player of the season. United had to fight off competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona and rival Premier League clubs to convince Gabriel to remain at Old Trafford. United presented the talented attacker a pathway into the first-team, he trained regularly with Carrick’s squad last season and he’s expected to debut this campaign – he can’t feature in the Premier League until he turns 16 in October. Prodigiously talented, Gabriel has been compared stylistically to Neymar as he’s an incredibly creative attacker with massive potential.
Shea Lacey
Shea Lacey has already grabbed his opportunity to impress this summer, scoring an excellent goal in the 5-0 win over Rosenborg. The Liverpudlian is highly-rated at United and they’ll rebuff loan approaches for the 19-year-old during the transfer window and he will be handed first-team minutes before evaluating his situation in January. Lacey made four first-team appearances last season and he’s an exciting right-winger, who must target putting pressure on Bryan Mbeumo and Amad.
Market Value
S. Lacey
Right Winger
€5.00m
Jim Thwaites
Jim Thwaites is yet to make his professional debut but that should arrive this season and he was named on the bench against Chelsea in April. Both Fletcher twins, Jack and Tyler have debuted for the first-team but Thwaites is arguably a better midfield talent. The Englishman is very technically gifted, possesses an impressive passing range and is extremely composed under pressure.
Tynan Thompson
Tynan Thompson is technically an academy player, although he was signed this summer for Tottenham Hotspur. United paid an initial €4.7m for the Spurs youngster, plus a potential similar figure in add-ons, which highlights the regard they hold Thompson in.
Tynan Thompson
Profile
Although he’s currently training with the academy, Thompson is viewed as a first-team signing and it’s understood that he was offered assurances over first-team minutes after choosing United ahead of a host of suitors. Thompson is an electric left-winger, renowned for his excellence in 1 vs 1 situations and has the potential to develop into a first-team regular.
Godwill Kukonki
Godwill Kukonki’s development has stalled across the last 18 months but he remains a major talent. He was named regularly on the bench by Ruben Amorim as a 16-year-old but he’s yet to make his professional debut. The England U19 international is a physical specimen, fast and importantly a left-footed centre-back, which is a highly-desirable asset. Kukonki scored in the FA Youth Cup final in May and should be targeting first-team involvement this summer but he faces strong competition amongst young defenders at United in Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
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