| This article has been sitting in my drafts for the past two weeks and since then, the views I had expressed have just continued to ring true. |
It is an interesting statement to suggest that somehow United's policy of integrating youth or academy prospects into the first team, somehow is holding the club back.
I know. But hear me out.
Under the Glazer ownership, there has been a total lack of objectivity in transfers. To them, the commercial potential of the signing was usually placed ahead of fit. Because of that, most of the signings that Manchester United made were usually quite pricey and commanded huge wages.
As a result, the club found itself in the position where FFP became a factor. Increasingly, Manchester United couldn't sign more than 3 players in a window - most of them budget signings. These poor decisions forced the club to rely more on the academy and young upcoming talent to fill the ranks.
From the top of my head, I remember the likes of Omari Forson, Teden Mengi, Charlie Savage, Kambwala and recently, Zidane Iqbal, Facundo Pellistri and Shola Shoretire.
These are some young players, who at some point were considered ready and were given a chance to prove themselves but couldn't succeed.
Now, it is not that the players couldn't perform as required. No, they just didn't have the luxury to fail. They were in a sink or float situation because the club didn't have the ability to go into the market to buy experienced players.
Now, since the INEOS group arrived, that has changed. The rumors on the grapevine suggested that after we failed to get Europe last season, we had no choice but to go for the same young inexperienced players. Thankfully, that was not the case.
Ambition rose and we went for two fantastic, Premier League proven talents in Mbeumo and Cunha. However, because of the same FFP restrictions, we still had to augment the two players with young potential - Benjamin Sesko(22), Senne Lammens(23) and Diego Leon(18).
Granted, these were all incredible signings despite their age, with Leon yet to still prove himself due to lack of game time in the first team.
But here lies the problem.
How long can you rely on youth before you sign experience?
At Man United, we have an interesting conundrum. Fans demand that the manager should compete and possibly win the league while at the same time infusing the starting squad with young academy players.
The Mainoo case comes to mind.
Fans, ex-players turned pundits are calling for Mainoo to leave the club due to lack of opportunities. Many, myself included, don't want to see that happen. But it is a World Cup year and anything goes.
Back to the point, every time Mainoo starts the game alongside Bruno, who can't be benched for obvious reasons, we have massive gaps appearing in midfield.
This mainly happens because both players are forward thinking, and both don't have the legs to get back into a defensive shape once they turn over possession.
But who do you sell? The player that generates the most chances in the team and the entire league or the up and coming player, who is clearly extremely talented but not yet proven? It is a tough choice and I don't envy the person who is going to make it, but personally, I am going with the proven talent. I am going with Bruno Fernandes.
Another case that supports the need for experience is what we saw against Bournemouth.
Ruben Amorim had no choice but to go with two young defenders in Heaven and Yoro. The consequences were clear for everyone to see.
Heaven, who was playing in the CCB position, was arguably responsible for 3 of the goals we conceded. First Semenyo's goal, where he should have waited till the last second and quickly closed down Semenyo and prevented him from having an open shot on goal. The other two were the Evanilson and Kroupi goals, which were basically identical. Both players ran off the back of him before slotting the ball past Senne Lammens.
In these three occasions, it showed the value of experience. Players who have learned to anticipate the dangers and be in the right spots. This is something De Ligt was doing very well before his unfortunate injury. We missed him massively for this game.
Simply put, young players are a very vital cog in a successful team. But for a team that is used to winning and is expected to keep winning, Man United don't have the luxury to wait for players to develop. Only the best of the best in the Youth ranks should be anywhere near the first team. Ahead of them should be experienced quality players.
That is the only way to build a top-top winning side.