Kobbie Mainoo 97th-minute against Wolves provided further evidence that he’s the real deal for Man Utd who, let’s face it, haven’t had many academy graduates to rave about recently – or indeed this century.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!We’ve ranked all of the Red Devil youth products from worst to best, based only on their impact at their boyhood club.
Players must have started five Premier League games for Man Utd to make the cut, so none of your Dwight McNeils or Paul McShanes here.
23) Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Moved to Bayer Leverkusen in search of more game time in 2021 and now finds himself even further from a far better first team.
22) Axel Tuanzebe
Very briefly looked as though he may be the answer to United’s centre-back problems before being hooked at half-time by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in their embarrassing Champions League defeat to Basaksehir.
21) Federico Macheda
His 94th-minute winner against Aston Villa in 2009 is burned into the retinas and he got another one from the bench to beat Sunderland in the very next game, but that was pretty much it for a player who has since carved out a decent career, predominantly in Turkey.
20) Luke Chadwick
Among the ‘ones to watch’ – according to Sir Alex – at the turn of the century but started just 11 Premier League games before dropping down the divisions to find his true level.
19) Dean Henderson
“He looks so small, which is a big concern going forward,” Roy Keane said at the end of the 2020/21 season, at which point Henderson was destined to be United’s next goalkeeper. Another concern that later became apparent being that Henderson is not a very good goalkeeper.
18) Anthony Elanga
Ralf Rangnick was a big fan and claimed Elanga was a “role model” for his work-shy teammates. Elanga’s six Premier League assists is as many as Manchester United’s forwards have managed between them this season and only Marcus Rashford (five) has more than his four goals.
17) Darron Gibson
Somehow made 60 appearances for United in a seven-year spell before being told to join Everton by Sir Alex midway through a training session.
16) Adnan Januzaj
“Januzaj is outstanding and I think he is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo,” said youth coach Eric Harrison, who judging by that claim and this list in general, entirely lost his head after the Class of ’92. As, to be fair, did everyone after Januzaj’s brace on his full United debut. He went on to score a further three goals in 58 games for the Red Devils.
15) Andreas Pereira
He almost became the indicator of how far United were behind their rivals when he played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the fans never took to him, possibly because of what was a pretty obviously low ceiling.
14) Brandon Williams
Among United’s top performers at the end of the 2019/20 season, which says far more about the team than him, and his most notable Red Devils contribution of late was to take a swipe at Manchester City for their Treble ‘sloppy seconds’ and calling Rio Ferdinand a ‘fakesssss for money’ for praising them. United were ‘disappointed’ and ‘unhappy’ with the defender, who currently can’t get into the Ipswich team and is very unlikely ever to play for his boyhood club again.
13) Tom Cleverley
A more than serviceable Premier League midfielder, but winning the title with him as United’s beating heart has to be well up there among Ferguson’s greatest achievements.
12) Alejandro Garnacho
Capable of the extraordinary, as demonstrated against Everton this season, and has the potential to be a very fine footballer indeed, but he’s got a ways to go yet.
11) Jesse Lingard
You would have got long odds at the end of the 2020/21 season, as Lingard tore it up for West Ham, on him plying his trade in South Korea by 2024. His winner in the 2016 FA Cup final was the highlight of a United career which promised more than it delivered, with his standout Premier League displays coming in that six-month sojourn with the Hammers.
10) Scott McTominay
Deemed surplus to requirements by Erik ten Hag in the summer, the Dutchman probably wouldn’t still be in the job had McTominay actually left Old Trafford. His six Premier League goals – which make him the club’s top scorer – have been worth ten points to United this season.
9) Danny Welbeck
Made 57 Premier League appearances for United in Fergie’s last two seasons, starting 36 of them, so the club’s greatest ever manager clearly thought pretty highly of him. He’s precisely the sort of experienced striker Ten Hag could do with now to support Rasmus Hojlund.
8) Kobbie Mainoo
Where’s the joy in not getting carried away? If United fans aren’t picturing Mainoo patrolling the midfield in the Champions League final in four years’ time then we would argue they don’t deserve to watch when he’s patrolling the midfield in the Champions League final in four years’ time. Kid’s got everything in his locker, including 97th-minute wondergoals.
7) Mason Greenwood
Just when we thought we couldn’t love Jude Bellingham more, he does this.
6) Jonny Evans
Evans was Rio Ferdinand’s centre-back partner the last time they won the Premier League and featured more than any other centre-back the season before when they were pipped on the final day by Manchester City. He played every minute of the League Cup final victories in 2009 and 2010, and having returned to the club in the summer has now racked up 217 appearances in total. The only club legend currently playing for Manchester United.
5) John O’Shea
Sixty-nine appearances at right-back, 41 at centre-back, 40 at left-back and 32 in defensive midfield in a decade at United in which his nine major trophies were entirely overshadowed by his nutmeg of Luis Figo.
Speaking of memories…
*John O’Shea once did a nutmeg against Real Madrid in the @ChampionsLeague, pass it on* pic.twitter.com/jFkRk1mDSO
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 30, 2019
4) Wes Brown
A brilliantly versatile, underrated player who would be United’s best defender were he still around. He was a stalwart as they claimed the Premier League and Champions League in 2007/08 and won 14 major trophies in total, making 362 appearances for the club.
3) Paul Pogba
Far more successful away from United than he was with them, while few would deny that Pogba failed to reach his potential at United, his Old Trafford career was punctuated by genius and no player in this ranking comes close to matching him on his day.
READ MORE: Souness more ‘lazy’ than Pogba as real reason for post-World Cup Man Utd slump revealed
2) Marcus Rashford
More than a goal or an assist every other game in 386 appearances now for this very naughty boy, who’s 11th on the all-time record goalscorers list on 128, above Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (126) and Andy Cole (121); only Ryan Giggs (261), Wayne Rooney (145), David Beckham (120) and Paul Scholes (82) have more than his 74 assists.
1) Darren Fletcher
Forced centrally from the right thanks to the arrival of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, Fletcher the workhorse went on to win in it all in a decade-long stint as the teacher’s pet, playing as ‘the other midfielder’ whether he was alongside Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick or Ryan Giggs.
