A former Manchester United scout has claimed the club has an inherent problem with youth players, as they “gave up” on one “top-class player”.
Manchester United and academy graduates have gone hand-in-hand for the majority of the club’s history. Since October 1937, United have named at least one academy graduate in every matchday squad: a record like no other for the Red Devils.
The most notable set of youth products are the Class of ’92, including: David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. But, there continue to be key Carrington graduates in Rúben Amorim’s first team to this day.
Even with Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford leaving in the summer transfer window, United still have Kobbie Mainoo and Tom Heaton as academy graduates in the senior squad, with an exciting set of youngsters coming through the under-18s and under-21s in the coming years.
Despite the anticipation for the next crop of academy talents, some fans remain concerned due to the treatment of some youth products in years gone by. Dean Henderson – the current Crystal Palace shotstopper – was famously promised the starting spot by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, but was moved on before getting a real chance at Old Trafford.
James Garner has been linked with a move back to United, just over two years after being sold by Erik ten Hag, as has Scott McTominay. Both players appear to be sold for FFP reasons, but losing great talent is never a good idea.
Sadowski claims United “gave up” on Carreras
Alvaro Carreras (also known as Alvaro Fernandez) came through United’s academy alongside Garnacho as an attacking left-back who could make it to a high level. After a successful loan at Preston North End, many thought he would return to Old Trafford, but he was sold to Benfica for a very low fee.
Last summer, United had a chance to repurchase Carreras, using their buy-back clause, but they chose to let the young Spaniard sign for Real Madrid. Carreras now starts week in, week out for Madrid and is on great form.
Piotr Sadowski – a former United scout – had his say on Carreras’ United career, speaking to Przeglad Sportowy via The Sun: “He came to Manchester United when he was probably 16. A very hard-working and ambitious boy, he learned the language quickly – I know because I met him personally.
“Initially, his career path was quite good. He was loaned to Preston, received good reviews, and… United gave up on him, selling him to Benfica for a small fee.
“Carreras is a truly top-class player. There’s a good chance he’ll become the best, or one of the best, left-backs in the world. He scored a beautiful goal recently against Valencia in La Liga. It was a huge mistake for United to let him go.
“Something is missing here and I think that something is United’s lack of courage in investing in young players.”
Dorgu signing was a mistake says Sadowski
Sadowksi went on to say: “Honestly, having recently worked at Blackburn Rovers and operating on a much lower transfer budget, I would have had no problem finding a few players of [Patrick] Dorgu’s level for United, but for £25m, you could get four.
“Now, United are wary of bringing in youngsters. Amorim was supposed to be the one to do this, but the results haven’t been right, so he prefers to buy ready-made players.
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“Whether he has anyone to choose from in the backroom is another matter. In my opinion, Harry Amass is the only player currently capable of making it into the United first-team squad after returning from his loan spell.”
Perhaps, Amass will be able to displace Dorgu when he returns from his loan at Sheffield Wednesday. However, Diego Leon will also be fighting for a regular spot in the senior squad.
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