Development/Youth Squads 2025/2026 Thread - U18/U21

[Ryy]

3 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Such a shame if Motsi does leave us. Alves and Briggs are best pals apparently, could both be vying for the 10 role next season? Prefer Alves LW.

Totally forgot about Alves 😭 next season is make or break for him 

[Rubbersoul]

11 minutes ago, Ryy said:

Totally forgot about Alves 😭 next season is make or break for him 

Huddersfield fans seemed a bit confused why he didn’t play more

[shen]

23 hours ago, indierich06 said:

I dunno, 5 years since we won the FA cup and performances were on the slide before then. Half a decade is a long time. 

It is absolutely not a long time. It's a fall from grace at record speed. 
Also, not bad finishing 8th, our fourth best ever PL finish, and being in a European semifinal AFTER our FA Cup win despite being "on the slide".

That was just FOUR years ago as well, but I suppose for people with short-term memory loss, that would feel like a long time...

[shen]

21 hours ago, deep blue said:

Izzet was a much better all round midfielder than any of those of the Rodgers era, and he also had fight, grit and commitment.

Sure, Izzet might've been a better allrounder but Izzet and Lennon weren't at the level of peak Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison. I mean, two 5th places, an 8th place and an FA Cup win in a richer, tougher league speak for themselves. 

[South Shire Fox]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

Such a shame if Motsi does leave us. Alves and Briggs are best pals apparently, could both be vying for the 10 role next season? Prefer Alves LW.

Alves is definetley a LW. His best attributes are his dribbling and trickyness. Number 10 is some one who can thread a ball through and be our playmaker. Never seen anything from Alves to suggest thats him. I prefer Monga on the left as well

Edited 8 May by South Shire Fox

[Ryy]

United really really really want both Monga and Page

[indierich06]

28 minutes ago, shen said:

It is absolutely not a long time. It's a fall from grace at record speed. 
Also, not bad finishing 8th, our fourth best ever PL finish, and being in a European semifinal AFTER our FA Cup win despite being "on the slide".

That was just FOUR years ago as well, but I suppose for people with short-term memory loss, that would feel like a long time...

Feels like a long time.

[Rubbersoul]

13 minutes ago, Ryy said:

United really really really want both Monga and Page

I’ve accepted Monga is off but would be gutted about Page 

[coolhandfox]

14 minutes ago, Ryy said:

United really really really want both Monga and Page

Sad times

 

[coolhandfox]

1 minute ago, Rubbersoul said:

I’ve accepted Monga is off but would be gutted about Page 

Same 

[MrsJohnMurphy]

22 hours ago, Steve Earle said:

You were doing so well, and then I read ‘…and I’d argue you could add Albrigton & Barnes to that list’.

 

Never.

 

Good Premier League players both, but ‘easily European standard’? No.

 

Not unless by ‘European standard’ you meant, and I don’t think you did, could play for OH Leuven, or similar?

 

Agree with the rest 👏

Is that the same Harvey Barnes that has 6 goals and 3 assists in 12 Champions League matches?

[Ric Flair]

Yeah, if Page goes thats properly galling but I can see why the big clubs would want him. He plays 30+ games here next season though so it's very much whether we badly need the money we'd get for him (can't see if being more than £5-8m at this stage).

[Ric Flair]

Hasn't Page gone on record saying he's a Man Utd fan as well?

[TamuffFox]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Hasn't Page gone on record saying he's a Man Utd fan as well?

His dad and former footballer Don is from Manchester so it would add up

[Steve Earle]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

Muzzy, Lennon and Gibson were better, more consistent and for a longer time.

Pretty sure they never played together?!?

 

My claim, on behalf of Ndidi, Tielemans & Maddison, was that they were the best midfield trio we’ve ever put out, certainly in my time - 1965 onwards.

[UniFox21]

Well that's thoroughly depressing to read

[Steve Earle]

46 minutes ago, MrsJohnMurphy said:

Is that the same Harvey Barnes that has 6 goals and 3 assists in 12 Champions League matches?

We’re talking at cross purposes. 
 

Barnes isn’t, wasn’t & never will be an elite level player. I was responding to a post, initially, that suggested that as well as Ndidi, Tielemans & Maddison, our other ‘European level’ players from the recent past might have included Albrighton & Barnes.

 

I took ‘European level’ to have meaning more than ‘played in Europe’. Perhaps implying elite level.

 

Those Barnes stats are indeed impressive. But they don’t tell the whole story. I can’t think of many Champions League teams that would want him as a starter, for example 

[Rigga]

1 hour ago, shen said:

Sure, Izzet might've been a better allrounder but Izzet and Lennon weren't at the level of peak Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison. I mean, two 5th places, an 8th place and an FA Cup win in a richer, tougher league speak for themselves. 

Dont  forget about the relegation from PL..

maddison blatantly downed tools that last third of the season 

[UniFox21]

Trying to be as neutral as possible, United do generally give talented youngsters a go.

But important to note players like Chido Obi who were absolutely raved about at Arsenal has been swallowed up into their system and disappeared.

Players like Hojland, Van der Beek who were young talented players disappeared having had big money on them. They've ridden on the class of 92 and the odd academy player like Rashford breaking through. 

 

From a career point of view, they'd be better staying for a year, developing further and seeing what happens in a year rather than disappearing into an academy and academy football.

[1972 Fox]

6 hours ago, davieG said:

Muzzy, Lennon and Gibson were better, more consistent and for a longer time.

 

1 hour ago, Steve Earle said:

Pretty sure they never played together?!?

 

My claim, on behalf of Ndidi, Tielemans & Maddison, was that they were the best midfield trio we’ve ever put out, certainly in my time - 1965 onwards.

[Ric Flair]

2 hours ago, Steve Earle said:

We’re talking at cross purposes. 
 

Barnes isn’t, wasn’t & never will be an elite level player. I was responding to a post, initially, that suggested that as well as Ndidi, Tielemans & Maddison, our other ‘European level’ players from the recent past might have included Albrighton & Barnes.

 

I took ‘European level’ to have meaning more than ‘played in Europe’. Perhaps implying elite level.

 

Those Barnes stats are indeed impressive. But they don’t tell the whole story. I can’t think of many Champions League teams that would want him as a starter, for example 

Barnes gets in most UCL teams starting XI bar perhaps 6-8 teams.

[Steve Earle]

1 minute ago, Ric Flair said:

Barnes gets in most UCL teams starting XI bar perhaps 6-8 teams.

He really doesn’t! Obviously IMO.

 

Here’s 10 teams he doesn’t get in, without any thought at all:

 

Arsenal

Man C

Man U

Liverpool

Villa

Chelsea

PSG

Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid

Barcelona (11th added in case you felt he’d start for Villa. Or Chelsea).

 

Remember, he’s not even the first choice LW at a Newcastle side in the bottom half of the league!

[shen]

2 hours ago, Rigga said:

Dont forget about the relegation from PL..

maddison blatantly downed tools that last third of the season 

I don't forget, but if that is held against Maddison then you can't also ignore that Izzet was part of not one but two relegation squads as well.

 

Maddison still had 19 goal contributions that season. He was absolutely not the reason we went down, despite what the anecdotal evidence of the missed Everton penalty would make you believe.

 

[funkyrobot]

3 hours ago, Ryy said:

United really really really want both Monga and Page

They will have a choice to play first team football at Leicester next season or take the big risk of being swallowed up by a Man U reserve system that has progressed very few players long term into the 1st team in recent years. Before anyone says football is a brief career and they should move - these pair have potentially got 18-20 years left. Thats a long time in any career these days! 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

As said above, be genuinely gutted if Page goes. He is the one I think is going the furthest.