Although the present isn’t quite so brilliant at Manchester United, the future certainly looks extremely bright.
The star leading the rebuild will most definitely be Kobbie Mainoo, who’s been absolutely fantastic since breaking into the first team.
The 18-year-old has now started 18 Premier League games this season after making his debut against Everton in November, and has even made his England debut.
However, there’s a young talent in the United academy who has the potential to be the best talent since Mainoo, while also potentially ending up being a successor to Rasmus Hojlund.
Rasmus Hojlund’s first campaign at United in numbers
With the pressure of a £72m price tag on his shoulders and the demand to instantly succeed, Hojlund initially struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
Fast forward to today, and the Dane has seven goals and two assists in the English top flight, but his output has dried up in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old now hasn’t scored in all of United’s last four Premier League games, but he spends most of his time on the field chasing shadows and receiving no service whatsoever.
Had there been a replacement in the squad for Hojlund, he may have been rotated, but there’s no doubt that he has the potential to lead the line for years to come, and he may have some competition via an academy player extremely soon.
Man Utd were rinsed by flop who earned more than Hojlund & Fernandes
The exceptionally gifted star drained the Red Devils and offered very little in return.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Ethan Wheatley could be up next
Ethan Wheatley isn’t a name that many of the United faithful will have heard before, but the 18-year-old made his first matchday squad against Bournemouth at the weekend.
The academy star is a relentless centre forward who’s thrived in the U21s and the U19s this season, and he certainly loves to score goals.
The number 84 has played 25 games across all competitions this season, boasting a record of 11 goals and also registering four assists, which is a fantastic return.
Earlier this season, Wheatley particularly impressed against København in the UEFA Youth League when he scored and assisted in a 2-2 draw, which proves he can provide much more than just goals.
As you can see from the clip above, Wheatley is an extremely dynamic striker who’s comfortable on the half-turn while having the confidence to unleash a strike from range.
It also highlights that he’s the type of forward who can create moments of magic out of nothing, even if there’s a lack of supply, which is an aspect that even Hojlund needs to develop.
However, he also has the characteristics of a goal-poacher, using clever movement to buy himself a yard of space in the box, where he often finds the back of the net.
Overall, the “sensational” attacker, as dubbed by Statman Dave, has an extremely bright future ahead of him, and Erik ten Hag has shown how keen he is to integrate him into the first team setup.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.