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Manchester United's Amad Diallo during a training session before the UEFA Europa League final, at Gdansk Stadium, Poland.

Man Utd’s 17 wonderkids from FM 2022: Amad, Shoretire, Elanga…

Planet Football •

With Football Manager 2022 now officially released, it’s always good to look through some of the next generations of talent that could be gracing the pitches at the top level of football very soon.

From those players with a hatful of senior appearances already, to those waiting in the wings for their chance to shine, Football Manager has them all for you to develop and nurture into world-beating talents.

One team with plenty of wonderkids is Manchester United. One of the greatest academies in world football, hundreds of players have made the journey through the age groups and finally onto the pitch at Old Trafford.

FM Scout has picked out the 17 players with the wonderkid label in the new game, so let’s take a look at who could be the next Marcus Rashford or your Champions League-winning captain.

Willy Kambwala

There’s been a concerted effort at Carrington to bring in some of the best young talent in Europe to help fill the ranks of United’s youth teams, and Frenchman Kambwala is one such example.

Signed from Sochaux in 2020, he suffered a long-term injury last season but is now back to playing regularly for the Under-18s.

The highly-rated 17-year old centre-back also captained the French Under-16 side.

Teden Mengi

Mengi is extremely well regarded at Old Trafford, having joined the club at just seven years of age and represented them at every youth level.

The centre-back has captained at various youth levels and now has a senior contract with United. He had a short but impressive loan with Wayne Rooney’s Derby County earlier this year where he impressed the former United player but had to return early due to injury.

In October he trained with the England first team when the senior side needed another centre-back to make up the numbers. This is a name you’ll be seeing a lot more in the future.

Alvaro Fernandez

Joining from Real Madrid last year, Fernandez has impressed as part of the Under-23 setup at United, fast-tracked from the Under-18s.

The left-back has chipped in with goals as well as assists and may well be the next academy player in line to get a senior cap.

Brandon Williams

Williams had a good start to his senior United career, coming into the side when there was a lack of depth at left-back.

He put in good performances in the Premier League and scored against Sheffield United, but found his opportunities limited with Alex Telles joining. He is now on loan with Norwich.

Ethan Laird

Another highly-rated full-back, Laird is on loan at Swansea and has put in consistently good performances since moving to South Wales in the summer.

He joined MK Dons in the January window where he had an impressive spell before making the jump to the Championship in the summer.

Hannibal Mejbri

Perhaps the hottest prospect on this list, Majbri is biding his time in the academy. But his moment, either on loan or at Old Trafford, must surely be coming.

Having joined from Monaco in 2019, he is considered one of the brightest prospects at the club. A creative, flair-filled midfield force, he made his senior debut when he came on for Juan Mata in the 83rd minute in the final game of the season last year in a handing on the baton sort of moment.

If you’re playing FM22, go out of your way to get him.

Ethan Galbraith

A full Northern Irish international, midfielder Galbraith is on loan at Doncaster this season where he has also filled in at right-back.

It is his first loan spell away from United, and will be hoping to make the jump to the Championship in the near future.

James Garner

The Birkenhead-born midfielder got his first taste of regular men’s football last season with loans at Watford and Nottingham Forest, receiving rave reviews for his performances for the latter.

He’s back out at the City Ground for the 2021-22 season.

READ: ‘My player of the season’: Forest fans praise James Garner after loan spell

Kobbie Mainoo

Just 16-years old, Stockport-born Mainoo plays for the Under-18s at United but has also appeared for the Under-23s in the PL2, such is his potential.

He has become one of the standout players in his age group and has demonstrated supreme technical ability in the middle of the park.

Mainoo is another name on this list hoping to make the hard journey through all the youth levels at Old Trafford to the senior squad, having made his Under-18 debut when he was just 15.

Shola Shoretire

Newcastle-born Shoretire has already made his debut for the senior team and is a hot prospect.

On the fringes of the first team, Shoretire has made a few appearances as a sub for United where he has broken records.

He became the youngest ever UEFA Youth League player when he was 14 years old in 2019 and became Manchester United’s youngest ever senior player to play in Europe when he came on against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Anthony Elanga

If you hadn’t heard of Elanga before he scored on the final day of the season last year, you certainly did when he headed home at the Molineux.

Elanga is very much ‘next up’ at Old Trafford, his performances for both the club and away with the Sweden Under-21s suggest he will be a more consistent first-team squad fixture soon or will be heading on loan for senior game time.

Facundo Pellistri

Uruguayan Pellistri joined last summer from the then Diego Forlan-managed Penarol.

He went on loan in January to Deportivo Alaves in Spain and then impressed for United in pre-season before returning to Alaves for the 2021-22 season.

Amad Diallo

Signed for £19million from Atalanta before he’d even kicked a ball at senior level, Amad showed what the hype is all about with a brilliantly improvised header in one of his first appearances for United.

It remains the 19-year-old’s only senior goal, with injuries keeping him sidelined so far in 2021-22, but given what he’s doing in the youth team – and how prodigiously talented he clearly is – we bet he adds a fair few more.

READ: Man Utd have finally unearthed a shiny from a mystery pack of Panini stickers

Isak Hansen-Aaroen

Whatever happens with Ole Gunnar Solskaer, Hansen-Aaroen means they’ll probably be a Norweigan in and around Old Trafford for a long time to come.

Signed from Norwegian side Tromso, Hansen-Aaroen was already a full senior player at just 15 years old, the youngest in the history of the club.

He has played with United’s youth set-up and has now signed a professional contract with the Red Devils.

Ethan Ennis

How many players move between Liverpool and Manchester United? However low the number, Ennis is one of them having left the Merseyside club for United this summer.

The 16-year old forward is now one of the many British talents training at Carrington, and looks to be a promising player.

Mason Greenwood

Yeah, he’s not bad, is he?

READ: Comparing Mason Greenwood’s Man Utd record at 19 to Wayne Rooney’s

Charlie McNeill

McNeil is another player who joined United from a club rival, signing for Manchester United from Manchester City where he scored over 600 goals at youth level.

Yes, six hundred. And none of that Pele-style counting the ones he scored in his back garden either.

He’s carried on banging them in for United, scoring four against his old team last year and then kissing the United badge. One to watch.

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