Gerard Pique tells Manchester United who to trust to win the Premier League

Former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique has explained that the Old Trafford club must trust in their academy to win the Premier League.

Managed by then-United reserves team boss René Meulensteen, Pique, now retired, rose up the ranks of the United academy between 2004 and 2008, where he played a total of 23 games for the Old Trafford club.

Often playing as part of a backline with current United defender Jonny Evans, Pique would form a partnership with the current United No. 35 for the 05/06 reserves team season.

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Following his successes at the reserve team level, Pique moved up to the senior squad, playing a part in United’s Champions League and Premier League successes of the 07/08 season.

Since the appointment of current United boss Erik ten Hag, fans of the Red Devils have seen the rise of both Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho from academy prospects to first-team regulars.

It’s a process that has been ingrained in United’s history, and one Pique has revealed he believes Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Manchester United will need to replicate if they are to be successful again.

“The difference to Barcelona is that they [Manchester United] have taken a long time in this transition,” Pique told Sky Sports. “It’s been a few years that they’ve not been able to win the title.

“I think that after Sir Alex Ferguson left, they lost a little bit of their focus and their guidance. They didn’t know where to go. 

“I think little by little, they are trying to put everything together to try and compete for titles. I think Ten Hag is a very good coach, I don’t know if he will be able to really turn things around, but the win against Liverpool was an incredible one. I think it will give them that power that they need for the end of the season. 

“Then, I would say that they need to trust more on the people coming from the academy. It happens when you are suffering, it happens in Barcelona. You need to trust on them. 

“It happened in that time under Sir Alex with the generation of ’92, and I think that they have to trust on them. 

“The last few years they have spent a lot of money and it didn’t work out, so why not try to give this new, young generation [the opportunity] to at least try and perform.”