Manchester United starlet is “best in the country” at specific attribute Erik ten Hag needs

Manchester United’s pre-season is well underway, and fans have already identified players from the Academy that could make the jump to Erik ten Hag’s squad.

The Reds have faced Rosenborg, Rangers and Arsenal so far this summer, with further games against Real Betis, Liverpool and Manchester City to come.

Toby Collyer has stood out, in particular, for Ten Hag’s side. The young midfielder has put in solid performances in every game so far and looks likely to contribute to the first team this season.

Due to the under-21s team often not playing on television – unlike the under-18s, who are regularly featured on MUTV coverage – Collyer’s progression at United has almost gone under the radar.

However, when the midfielder joined the club from Brighton in the summer of 2022, it was considered an extremely impressive coup by those at Old Trafford.

Collyer captained his age level for England and was rated extremely highly among those familiar with him, especially his former coaches at Brighton.

Collyer’s under-18s coach at The Seagulls, Mark Beard, was extremely complimentary of the teenager’s abilities at a young age.

In 2022, he told Sussex Live “You could see he was going to be a top-class player. He is a pleasure to coach. He is so low maintenance.

“What I mean by that is you don’t know he is there. He gets on with his job. He regularly put in displays of 8/10 at the least. He had the best running stats, runs 13 kilometres a game, breaks things up.

“He is so unassuming, he gets on with his job. You want 11 of these type of players in the team.

“You know what you’re going to get in training, he works hard, he wants to improve, he’s intelligent. He’s a good all-round kid.

“He plays like two men sometimes. As defensive midfielders go, and it is quite a disciplined role, he is probably the best in the country at doing it.”

Ten Hag’s 23/24 midfield issues

One of Ten Hag and United’s biggest problems last season was the midfield setup and the gaping holes that would appear in the middle of the park.

It was partly due to the tactical approach from the Dutchman but the personnel was not ideal either.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen looked slower, while Kobbie Mainoo’s excellence comes on the ball, and he was often positioned higher up the field.

Collyer’s introduction, as well as a potential new signing, could be key for Ten Hag’s team as they look to vastly improve the way the midfield performs this coming season.

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