Jose Mourinho promised a “surprise behind the door” eight years ago. Erik ten Hag is “so curious: who it is this season, the surprise who can contribute to our team”.
Even during the relative doldrum decade of League Cups, FA Cups and a Europa League, there have been academy breakthroughs that captured the imagination of Manchester United fans.
Adnan Januzaj, Paddy McNair, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood, Dean Henderson, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. A season has barely gone by without a local hero making a name for themselves at Old Trafford and Ten Hag’s academy legacies, Garnacho and Mainoo, are among the most successful.
It is not a coincidence another Dutch former Ajax manager championed Lingard and Rashford. Louis van Gaal granted 13 academy players debuts in two years.
Ten Hag has been more selective with the six he fielded and three have already left. Willy Kambwala was an unfancied centre back until United’s defence was depleted, Ten Hag saw something in Omari Forson that nobody else could and Charlie McNeill had the surreal distinction of making his debut in a solemn atmosphere after the Queen had passed away.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as manager in November 2021, United were so positive about him in their debrief we had to check if he had been sacked. The number of academy debuts was cited.
