Five Manchester United academy starlets spotted in first-team training ahead of Southampton

Five Manchester United academy starlets were spotted in first-team training this week ahead of the Premier League clash against Southampton.

The Reds have had a tough start to the season, securing only one Premier League win in their first three games.

A 3-0 loss to rivals Liverpool followed a last-minute defeat to Brighton. Although the opening victory over Fulham showed potential, Erik ten Hag’s side still has much to improve.

The international break gave Ten Hag and his staff time to reassess and identify areas for improvement.

They return to action this Saturday with an early 12:30pm kick-off against Southampton.

Five academy starlets spotted in Man United training

As always, Ten Hag has been incorporating the youngsters in his training sessions and five academy players were spotted in training images this week.

The majority of players who competed for their nations during the break returned on Wednesday, while Manuel Ugarte returned to Carrington on the following day.

Harry Amass was an expected face to see despite the fact that he is yet to make his United debut. The left-back has become a regular in first-team training and seems only weeks away from making a competitive appearance for the club.

He was joined by Jack Fletcher and Sam Mather, who have both been impressing for the Under-21s so far this term. Fletcher was nominated for the PL2 Player of the Month in August after some stellar displays, while Mather has scored in his last two games.

Ethan Williams also earned a call-up to training despite missing the last two U21s games due to a red card he received against Arsenal. He had an outstanding campaign for the Under-18s last season, scoring 17 goals and assisting nine times.

Finally, 18-year-old centre-back Louis Jackson was alongside the first team this week. He is on the verge of the U21s squad after impressing last term in the U18s.

Potential debuts soon

While it is unlikely that any of the young talent will appear against Southampton this weekend, United face League One outfit Barnsley in midweek for their first Carabao Cup game of the season.

This could provide opportunities for the likes of Amass and Fletcher to get on the pitch for their first-team debuts.

Toby Collyer is the most recent academy graduate after he made his debut in the Community Shield against Manchester City. He also made his Premier League debut against Liverpool before the international break.

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