‘You have to prove it’ – Ten Hag believes more young players can break into first-team

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is confident there are more youngsters at the club capable of making the breakthrough into the first team.

The aim for the academy has always been to develop young players and prepare them for life in senior football – whether that is at United or elsewhere.

Kobbie Mainno and Alejandro Garnacho are the latest academy graduates to earn regular places in the line-up. They’ve both had a huge impact this season and it helps that optimism is building on and off the pitch at Old Trafford – not just due to the emergence of promising academy talents, but the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and minority shareholder.

This should encourage other members of the academy to work even harder because they can see now, under Ten Hag, if you’re good enough you’re old enough.

Ten Hag sounds excited by the prospect of promoting more youth players at United. He has also given Premier League debuts to Dan Gore, Willy Kambwala and Omari Forson this term.

Speaking to reporters this week, as quoted by ManUtd.com, Ten Hag said: “You have to prove it and you have to prove it when the occasion is there.

“And, of course, you never know. But that is about the knowledge from the staff and if they think they can do it. 

“You assess the potential of the player. We were convinced of those players and I think we still have, in the back of our squad, such young players who can also make those steps, like Kobbie and Garnacho, who have also made [those] in the last couple of months.”

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