Noah Emeran's move to United has been confirmed. https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...nchester-united-noam-emeran-transfer-15839199 This one has been in the works for some time. NIce to score another highly touted young player. Done really well in that department recently after a few so-so years.
U23's starting lineup vs Reading: O'Connor, Ercolani, Bernard, Williams, Barlow, Traore, Levitt, Ramazini, Burkart, Bohui Subs: Stanley, Fojticek, Olosunde, Tanner, Galbraith No Gomes, Chong or Garner (and Greenwood, still out injured apparently) as expected, confirming they should be involved Wednesday with the senior team at Selhurst Park.
The senior squad is clearly short on numbers right now, because of all the players we've lost. It's a very solid bet that 2 or perhaps even 3 of those kids will be involved somehow in Wednesday's game...
I get your point, but unless some guys who were injured make a miraculous turn around (and that just bit us in the ass so I'd hope we've learned our lesson) we actually cannot field a 17 man squad without some bodies from the U23s/U18s.
I mean, I'm not even mad. I could see where some are worried about our top 4 chances with a depleted squad. But as a viewer, I'm really excited to see some of these guys get an opportunity. That's where I lean, at least.
As expected, the absences of Garner, Gomes and Chong have been felt by the U23s today. They tried vs Reading, but were simply not good enough overall and got beat 1-3. Those 3 and Greenwood hopefully soon (said to be out for another week) will get their chances with the senior team. Looking forward to it and the potential impact it could have on the team as a whole going forward.
Ramazini, one of the few bright spots for the U23s vs Reading yesterday. https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...l-news/man-utd-ramazani-chong-garner-15886521 Another exciting prospect to keep an eye on. Has done very well with the U18 and looks like he could fit right in with the U23s.
Weird skillset on that kid. Not elite at any skill, but uses whatever he can to be helpful & useful. Don't see him having a future at the club unless he has a weird developmental spurt physically or technically.
You have to highlight the fact that he can beat any man in very close proximity. Reminds me a little of what Nani used to do. We do not really have that in the squad except for Martial.
Appreciated how Ole, in the CP post match presser, doubled down on comparing Garner to Carrick. And also how he did it, by acknowledging that a kid like that does not need that pressure, yet he'll say it anyway. No wonder that it's very obvious that the players want to play and try hard for him. Edit: Garner was the 230th Academy graduate to make an appearance in the first team.
I don't see it yet. He never erases people and at that level, we've had a host of similarly talented kids who could erase people and the only one in the last decade to come close is Januzaj.
Why I need to leave Manchester United - James Wilson http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/man...ames-wilson-is-ready-to-quit-his-boyhood-club A pity, on top of a major bummer, when injuries derail what looks like a promising career. There's no doubt that things would have been different for Willo had he not suffered from those major injuries.
That's 5 league defeats on the trot for the U23 now. We've got from being right around the top of the division a few weeks back, to all the way down to 6th, 11pts clear of the leaders Soton. There have been some mitigating circumstances obviously (especially recently) but it's still no excuse. As previously stated, I really believe we could get much better results and style of play under a better coach: Sbragia out!
We've already been relegated to the Premier League 2 2nd division under Sbragia last season. And this season when at minimum we should be expecting to be in the hunt to go right back up, we're floundering pretty badly. The youth teams may not be primarily about results but bad results are not what is expected, desired or acceptable either. And as previously stated, poor results would be easier to accept if the way the team plays was better than what it's been under Sbragia. The lower age groups have routinely outperformed the U23 team in recent years in all aspects. Sbragia is just not very good at all and he needs to go, if/when an able replacement can be found.
The first 3 priorities are developing players, developing players, developing players. I couldn't give a rats ass what the results are. I'm not saying he shouldn't be fired. I don't know enough about what happens behind the scenes, but the only criteria is getting guys better.
Getting players better and arguably set them up for senior team football is a priority, but it should also be a point of honor to have the team perform at a certain level, especially with a team and academy as renowned as ours. Looking around the youth systems of the biggest clubs, not just in England or in Europe, you don't have their reserve team relegated from the top division as it happened to us under Sbragia's reign over the team. Bottom line is: it's embarrassing and unacceptable. Most of the recent call ups are U18 standouts: guys like Gomes, Garner, Chong just to name those guys might have made some appearances with the U23 team this season but they forged their reputation at U18 level, where the teams there in recent years, first under McKenna and now Butt have regularly got rave reviews both in terms of how they play and the results they get. It's something that simply can not be said about the U23 team recently. And it's not like there isn't proper talent either: they may not all be United or even Prem level quality players, but there is still more than enough to maintain at least a minimum level, both in terms of results and how they play. Both areas in which the U23s are found badly wanting right now. It's pretty clear to see where the blame lies there and it's at Sbragia's feet.
Our U23s aren't likely to get good results. They typically are playing against more mature players. All the "top" players for the U23s are younger. Gomes is 18, Garner is 17, Chong is 19 they are still learning their craft. It is not uncommon at united for our u18s to be dominant and then the next age group up (previously reserves) to be languishing midtable or lower. That's normal.
Andy Cole has been wowed by Mason Greenwood. https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ll-news/man-utd-mason-greenwood-news-15890257 More lofty praise for the kid. Really looking forward to him getting his opportunity at senior level, so we can gauge his level of readiness for that level.
Laird returned from injury for the 18s, scored a goal in the process, the other day. He put on 15lbs of muscle since he was injured. He's built like an American Football running back. It's hurt how agile and swift he is, but he is also completely unfazed by tackling and collisions. That's an interesting and unforeseen development. It's clear he isn't used to his new body yet in some regards. He was already one of the thicker guys at the level - he was very well built when he was hurt last fall. Now he's a train. I imagine he will run some of that muscle down over the course of his return. But this could be beneficial for him.
Another kid to keep an eye on. Shola. 15 years old with the U18's. I watched the highlights of his debut, tenacious, releases the ball quickly, good on the ball, good stature for a 15 year old.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-mason-greenwood-psg-15936458 Just a short cameo for Greenwood, but what a game to mark his first team debut. With players coming back soon, I really hope that we'll see more of him until season's end. As it's been stated before, just to see how he reacts to it, if nothing else and gauge his level of readiness for senior football. He could have an interesting effect on our summer business.