The brilliance of Manchester United’s 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.
Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and many more have gone on to play for United and showcased their talent on the pitch.
Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer included five youngsters for the Champions League game against PSG, having given James Garner, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong opportunities from the bench in recent weeks. They were joined by fellow youngsters Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams.
Here is Manchester United XI entirely made up of current players who’ve come from the club’s academy system.
Jose Mourinho called him the “best Portuguese goalkeeper of the next generation. He has played three times for Manchester United’s senior side and kept a clean sheet on each occasion.
Fosu-Mensah getting valuable Premier league experience in the last two years. The Dutchman featured 24 times on loan for Crystal Palace last year and currently, at Fulham, he has played 11 matches.
Poole played 20 times on loan for Northampton Town in 2017-18 and was made United under-23 captain upon his return last summer. The Welsh played every single game up until last month and earned a loan move back to Newport.
Tuanzebe’s loan at Aston Villa last season ended prematurely due to injury but he impressed so much that they wanted him back for 2018-19, in which he’s made 19 Championship starts.
Like Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Marcus Rashford, Demetri Mitchell began his youth career at Fletcher Moss Rangers before joining Man United. During his time at the club, Mitchell has changed from a winger to a full-back and his regular supply of goals and assists as a defender turned him into a star for the reserves.
Pereira is enjoying a full year as a Manchester United first-team player, playing 15 times so far(28 in total). This season has shown that he needs to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League because, besides that, he has the technical ability of a classy playmaker.
The current Scotland international overcame growth issues to make his United debut in May 2017 and established himself under Mourinho in 2017-18, making 23 appearances. The 22-year-old had struggled for game time with Solskjaer but his recent displays are proving he could grow into a Darren Fletcher-type member of the squad.
Pogba has scored 14 goals and created 11 assists so far this season. He helped France side win the 2018 World Cup and have a huge impact for Manchester United-especially under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Lingard has played at least 40 games in each of United’s past three seasons and produced magical moments. He is a vital part of the squad.
Rashford scored a goal in pretty much every debut he’s had for club or country and has scored 44 goals in 161 games for United.
Solskjaer gave Chong his Manchester United debut in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Reading in January. The 19-year-old still needs time to develop physically but he trains with the senior squad all the time.
