A week ago today, there were two unfamiliar names on Manchester United’s team-sheet for their early kick-off against Watford with 18-year-old striker Marcus Rashford and 20-year-old midfielder Sean Goss making up the matchday squad of 18.
The Red Devils academy duo were drafted into Louis van Gaal’s squad with strikers Wayne Rooney, James Wilson and Anthony Martial missing from the team, not to mention Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia in midfield.
We saw last season that United’s Dutch manager isn’t afraid to blood young academy products as part of his philosophy with Paddy McNair being the major breakthrough story of 2014/15 but for Rashford and Goss, they remained unused substitutes at Vicarage Road on last Saturday’s occasion.
Elsewhere this term, United fans have also grown used to seeing the names of Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson gracing their squad for the first time ever against both Crystal Palace away and West Bromwich Albion at home and with van Gaal clearly keen on enabling these young players an insight into the matchday experience.
This is incredibly important for United supporters to see given they oversaw the rise of the Class of 92 back in the day and it’s great that there is still a heavy focus placed upon bringing young talent through the system.
So with this in mind, we’ve identified five United kids who could follow both Rashford and Goss into the first team in the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five Manchester United kids to follow Marcus Rashford & Sean Goss into the first team.
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Regan Poole
What’s the similarity between Anthony Martial and Regan Poole? The answer? They both arrived at Old Trafford this summer.
Still getting acquainted to his new surroundings after signing from League Two outfit Newport County in the summer, Regan Poole is a highly-rated young centre back who even played 15 times for the Exiles’ first team last term despite his slender years.
Making his senior debut aged just 16, you have to sit up and take notice whenever any player makes his professional bow so young and the Welshman is now under United’s wing in terms of developing to that next level.
Perhaps Poole’s best bet of featuring in the first team as a substitute may come if United receive an easy home draw in the third round of the FA Cup.
Demetri Mitchell
Rated as one of the top prospects in Manchester United’s academy for a little while now, Demetri Mitchell is an 18-year-old winger with technique in abundance.
Described as being tricky on the official Manchester United website, Mitchell was actually a transfer target for Ronald Koeman’s Southampton back in August of last year and having not made a senior appearances for United yet, this interest speaks volumes about his ability.
United are quite well stocked in the wide areas right now with Jesse Lingard finally grasping his opportunity in the first team but who knows, this man lies in wait behind him and could ‘do an Andreas Pereira’ perhaps next season rather than this.
Sadiq El Fitouri
You may be familiar with the name Sadiq El Fitouri given the fact he was the kid who earned a dream move to United from Salford City, as shown in the BBC’s recent documentary about the non-league club purchased by the class of 92.
Motivated to earn his move by Phil Neville, El Fitouri has already made the impossible, possible by even earning a switch to the Red Devils after being deemed surplus to requirements at the Northern Premier League side.
A Libya international who has already earned three senior caps for the North African side this year, the scrutiny will be upon whether El Fitouri can go onto that next level while forcing his way into Louis van Gaal’s plans but given what he’s achieved so far, he has every chance.
Axel Tuanzebe
As briefly discussed at the outset, Axel Tuanzebe was the surprise name on Manchester United’s team-sheet for their 0-0 draw away at Crystal Palace back at the end of October.
Born in DR Congo but expected to play for England in the future, Tuanzebe is a tall 18-year-old centre back who we may see featuring on van Gaal’s team-sheet again before the season is out given Phil Jones’ unreliability with injuries.
Already boasting a physical edge to his game at such a young age, Tuanzebe might even do a Cameron Borthwick-Jackson by getting on the field before the current season is out if the manager doesn’t address his defensive shortfalls by dipping into the transfer market in January.
Josh Harrop
While the likes of Donald Love, Ben Pearson and Liam Grimshaw have earned loan moves away from Old Trafford for 2015/16, one man who still remains close to home in Warren Joyce’s Under-21 squad is Josh Harrop.
The 19-year-old central midfielder probably faces the toughest task out of the five players on this shortlist to make it into Louis van Gaal’s first team plans given the summer recruitment drive that saw both Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin arrive.
What’s more, he even has the likes of Andreas Pereira firmly ahead of him in the midfield pecking order right now so perhaps a loan move like Love, Pearson and Grimshaw would suit Harrop before returning to Old Trafford a more well-rounded player who could then try and force his way into the team.
