3 things Manchester United must do to save the sinking Old Trafford ship

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Time for some tough decisions Mr. Woodward

#3 Develop the young players

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Class of 92-93: The Backbone of United

Not so long ago, there was a time when Carrington Training Complex and La Masia (Barcelona) were hands down the best academies in the development of young players. Every young player dreams of entering the best development facility in the area, and Manchester United was more often than not the answer to their needs.

While La Masia has continued to bring in future stars, the production line at United has somewhat slowed down. Their bitter neighbors have taken advantage, and are now giving The Red Devils a run for the title of Best Academy in England.

The major upside of developing young players is that you get to beat in the club's philosophy and the style into the youngsters from a very young age, and it makes for an easier transition when they make the cut for the senior squad.

Also, the understanding, the partnerships, and the brotherhood develop from a very young age and the players stand up for their team-mates on and off the field, which is what makes a team United.

The class of 92-93 is the perfect example of the benefits of developing young players, rather than loaning out the starlets, as Beckham, Giggs, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers went on to become the backbone of the team that dominated the English football landscape like no other team had done before.

Now, rather than giving the young guns a chance, Mourinho is hell-bent on hiring proven stars rather than developing stars of his own. He has brought in Ibrahimovic, Matic, Sanchez, Fred, and Lindelof, which has significantly made United one of the older teams in terms of age on the footballing pitch.

Such decisions by the Portuguese manager has acted as a hindrance to the natural development of their young starlets, and it will end up costing United in the long run.

Finding a manager who can work and develop players in Rashford, Martial, McTominay, Fosu-Mensah, and Pereira among others could very well act as the secret ingredient which will make Manchester United great again.

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