Mason Greenwood became the youngest player to appear for Manchester United in the Champions League, aged 17 years and 156 days, breaking the record held by Gerard Pique, after a few days he became the second youngest ever player to debut for Manchester United in the Premier League, after Angel Gomes in May 2017(16y 263d V Crystal Palace).
Greenwood made his Champions League debut for Manchester United in the famous Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain. His debut was so unexpected that the youngster had to take to the field wearing PSG shirt numbering. Greenwood came off the bench to make his first senior appearance before Marcus Rashford booked United’s place in the quarterfinals with a penalty.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer included five youngsters for the 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.
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.
We have looked at five of the brightest prospects of United’s youth academy, who will have the chance to the player for the Reds.
Callum Gribbin
Gribbin was just 16 years old when the prospect of him becoming one of the few players to move from Manchester United to Liverpool looked to be growing by the day. A talented midfielder, playmaker bagged a hat-trick against Liverpool in the Under-18s and was promoted to the Under-23s ahead of schedule.
The injury affected his first full campaign in Premier League 2, but he managed a couple of goals from eight starts for the Reserves during last campaign.
Gribbin has great set-piece ability with his left foot and has developed as an all-around player of late too.
Lee O'Connor
19-year-old is rated as one of the hottest Irish prospects in his age. Arriving at Old Trafford in 2016 from Villa Football Club in Waterford, he earned a place in the Under-23 squad with a string of superb performances.
O’Connor continued to impress many in the latest campaign, playing 23 games in all tournaments.
The versatile performer, who usually plays in defence, was part of the United side that lifted the Under-18 Premier League North trophy and was shortlisted for the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year prize.
Aliou Traore
Last year Manchester United have announced highly-rated teenager Aliou Traore has signed a professional contract with the club. Traore was United’s most high-profile academy addition and he spent time with United’s youngsters at their pre-season training camp in Austria. He made his debut in the Premier League cup clash with Wolves.
While five youngsters joined Manchester United’s first team, Aliou Traore has been promoted to the under-23s and made his first ever under-23 start in Premier League Cup game against Reading.
Traore is described as a 'midfield powerhouse' by the United website and some followers of French youth football have likened him to a young Paul Pogba.
Ethan Hamilton
After captaining the Under-18s, Hamilton was moved into the Preserves squad. Further evidence of his progress came with a call-up to the Scotland Under-19 squad in October 2016. He has been called-up by Jose Mourinho, for the Emirates FA Cup tie at Huddersfield Town, where he replaced Paul Pogba as a substitute.
Hamilton enjoyed a superb season at underage level, netted the winner in the Premier League International Cup against Athletic Club.
This campaign, Hamilton become one of the first names on the team sheet for the Under-23 side. In addition, his impressive season he joined League One Side Rochdale on loan in January 2019 for the remainder of the season, however, he can move back to Manchester if he will show progression.
Regan Poole
Regan Poole has won 15 caps for Wales U21 and came through the Newport Country academy before an initial £100,000 switch to Old Trafford.
Poole has made one first-team appearance for Manchester United since joining in 2015, against Midtjylland in 2016 in a 5-1 home win.
Newport County have re-signed defender on a loan deal until the end of the season. He will have the chance to play for the Red Devils if he shows good performances for his current club.
