A record 65,000 fans will see Man United’s youth starlets given centre stage at The Theatre of Dreams in the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford where they aim to emulate the fabled Class of 92 heroes’ success on Wednesday.
Thirty years on from the 1992 FA Youth Cup win of Beckham, Butt, Neville, Giggs and Scholes – then not even close to household names – a new crop of United youngsters will aim to etch their name in the annals of the club’s rich history against Nottingham Forest, so make a football prediction to make a small profit on it.
It’s their first final appearance in over ten years since their class of 2011, when the likes of United’s forgotten hero Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba, current Everton and England player Michael Keane, and ex-Fulham midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe drove the Reds to a 6-3 aggregate glory over two legs at Bramall Lane and then Old Trafford.
Since then rivals Manchester City and Chelsea, the two finalists of last season’s Champions League final, have dominated the Youth Cup finals, with City having won the trophy once and appearing in four other finals, and Chelsea’s youngsters winning six times and losing two finals.
Leading United in their quest to lift the trophy for an 11th time is Madrid-born Argentine Alejandro Garnacho, who has already made his Premier League debut in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea and been called up to the Argentina squad, training alongside Lionel Messi.
The 17-year-old wide forward currently has 5 goals to his name in United’s FA Youth Cup run, including a stunner against Everton and is known to mark his goals with the ‘siu’ celebration, the trademark of his hero Ronaldo. He arrived in Manchester from Atletico Madrid’s youth academy in 2020.
Local lad Kobbie Mainoo, another 17-year-old, will anchor United’s midfield, and there is talk of him being the next best man in the middle of the park and whose progress through the youth ranks is much talked about, and fellow Greater Manchester resident Charlie McNeill, the boy who scored over 600 goals at youth level, will lead the United attack.
Lining up against United and Forest’s attack will be bolstered by the powerful Detlef Esapa Osong, who scored a couple of braces in the quarter final against Blackburn and semi final against Chelsea, and a has a goal every two games in the U18 Premier League, form which has earned him his first professional contract at the City Ground.
Incoming boss Erik Ten Hag will surely cast an intrigued eye over the performance of United’s next teenage sensations, the Dutchman has been committed to including youth team players in his squads in the past and at former club Ajax, which boasts one of the most famous footballing academies in the world.
Ten Hag will take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season, and will surely look to blood some of United’s budding stars into the first team after the inevitable process of clearing out deadwood brought in over previous seasons.
Roy Keane is perhaps the most famous player to have donned both United and Forest red, joining as a youth team player under the iconic Brian Clough before the equally irrepressible Alex Ferguson forked out a British record £3.75 million for the Cork man’s services.
Keane ended up captaining the Class of ‘92 graduates to a string of Premier League titles and a treble in 1999, and 1992 final captain Ryan Giggs became British football’s most decorated player ever. If the current pupils go on to achieve similar honours, the elusive glory days could finally be returned to the Old Trafford club.
