Manchester United 16 y/o defender trains with first-team ahead of Aston Villa clash

Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff felt it the time was right to introduce 16-year-old Harry Amass to first-team training at Manchester United this week.

Although it doesn’t mean Amass will be part of the match-day squad for Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa, it makes sense to bring him into training following Lisandro Martinez’s injury, but there will be several other defenders ahead of him in the pecking order.

Amass has clearly impressed coaches at United since he only joined the youth setup from Championship side Watford, having been with the Hornets since the age of nine, so it goes without saying that the left-back has come from a well-respected academy.

I suspect Amass will continue being a regular feature for Adam Lawrence’s U18s, but it will do him the world of good to be playing alongside players like Casemiro and Luke Shaw.

A report from The Mirror claims Amass joined first-team training this week.

That U18 side has won 14 out of 14 Premier League North games this season, with the Guardian suggesting that Amass is regarded as one of United’s young prospects. There is also high hopes for midfielder Jayce Fitzgerald and winger Shea Lacey.

There’s a good blend in youth and experience developing at United, though Ten Hag should look to lower the squad’s average age in the summer.

A small section of Manchester United fans have been critical in recent times of how the club has opted to sell a lot of younger players. We should note that Amass joined fellow academy prospects Toby Collyer and Sam Mather in training on Wednesday.

It’s not something I would look too much into because the academy is bursting with so much talent right now.

In the past two seasons, we’ve seen two academy graduates emerge from the reserves to the first-team in Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, both whom are considered key players in Ten Hag’s squad.

That is the reason I believe Ten Hag deserves credit for the way he has stuck with United’s true traditions of giving opportunities to youth.

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