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Manchester United is unquestionably one of the best clubs in football. The amount of success this club has enjoyed is unparalleled and the task of guiding it back to the zenith lies with Jose Mourinho now as it is slowly recovering from years of under-performance after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
The plethora of superstars United's Academy has produced in its history is a major source of jealousy for a lot of rivals as the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton, Duncan Edwards, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and many more have gone on to play for this club and showcased their talent on the pitch. The brilliance of this academy can be understood by the fact that there has been at least one academy graduate in United's every match day squad continuously for more than the past 80 years.
Sir Matt Busby used the Academy to propel United to the top of the division, Sir Alex Ferguson built a dynasty at Old Trafford using the academy as his core and maybe Jose Mourinho is now planning the same.
This argument is supported by the fact that as many as 7 Academy players, who have yet to make a competitive debut for the club, have been taken by Mourinho on the pre-season tour to USA. Let us have a look at 5 of the brightest prospects of United's youth academy, who have the potential to emulate the icons they grew up admiring.
#1 Tahith Chong
Tahith Chong made his first senior appearance for United on this tour against Club America as a substitute and earned rave reviews from the fans as well as the manager.
Born in 1999, Chong is a Dutch international who signed for Manchester United from parent club Feyenoord in 2016 and joined the club youth squad. A winger who can play on both flanks, he has been praised for his direct attacking style of football. Despite suffering a knee injury days after signing which sidelined him for 10 months, he has returned in sublime form which has led to demands of his inclusion in the first team.
His performances for the youth and reserves team were so good that he was awarded the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award this year. Chong definitely deserves a chance to display his talents in the Premier League as he has already shown the willingness and never-say-die attitude which are typical of a Manchester United player.
#2 Angel Gomes
Angel Gomes is touted to be the next big thing at United and he has already made his Premier League debut, replacing Wayne Rooney in the ultimate game of the 2016-17 season against Crystal Palace. In doing so, he also became the first ever player born in the 21st century to play in the EPL.
Gomes is an attacking midfielder by trade, who has been lauded by the United coaches for his dribbling and creativity, and has already been likened to Paul Scholes. A recipient of the 'Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year' award in 2017, he has represented England across all youth levels and played an integral role in England's U-17 World Cup triumph in India this year.
A supremely talented player, he needs to be given time and chances on the pitch in order to avoid a repeat of the Paul Pogba situation when lack of first team opportunities forced him to leave United for Juventus.
#3 Mason Greenwood
Like Tahith Chong, the young Academy striker Mason Greenwood has been given a chance to impress Mourinho in their USA tour. Greenwood is a striker who is equally comfortable playing the role of a No 10.
He rose to prominence this season for United's U-18 side, when he bagged 17 goals in 19 games. Adept in playing with both feet, he has got blistering pace and instinctive finishing and is a real threat when it comes to free kicks and penalties.
Greenwood will only turn 17 this October and hence, he has got plenty of time to impress Mourinho with his performances. If he continues to perform the way he has done till now, a first team appearance may not be too far away.
#4 Joshua Bohui
Joshua Bohui is another striker who has been given a chance by Mourinho to train with the first team in this pre-season tour. Joshua is a really pacy forward, who has got an incredible work rate, and is integral to the way the U-18 side play.
Signed from Brentford in 2016, he has impressed for the U-23 side, and the pick of the goals was an incredible solo goal against Benfica in the UEFA Youth Cup. His importance can be understood by the fact that even though he is not a prolific scorer, England, France and Ivory Coast were all scrambling for him to pledge his nationality to their respective national teams recently.
Given the attacking talent the Red Devils have at their disposal, it seems unlikely he will be involved as a regular starter in the team at the present time, but he is definitely one for the future.
#5 James Garner
James Garner is a box-to-box midfielder, who also has the capability to play as a defensive midfielder and puts in hard working shifts in the middle of the park for United very much in the same manner Nemanja Matic does.
James Garner was the captain of the England U-17 team and played every minute of the U-17 Euro Championship in England's run up to the semi-finals. He was one of the stars of the team this year as United's team won the U-18 Premier League North title.
He is also known for his leadership quality as he was regularly handed the armband for the U-18 team in the absence of regular skipper Lee O'Hara. The rise of recent graduate Scott McTominay should serve as an inspiration to him as Mourinho is definitely open to giving chances to these youngsters in his quest to bring back the glory days.
