Having brought a squad of 31 players on the tour of Thailand and Australia, Erik ten Hag’s debut 4-0 preseason victory over Liverpool saw quite a few Manchester United players spend all 90 minutes on the bench.
The new United boss still managed to rotate thoroughly and used 22 players after 10 half-time changes and a late David de Gea exit. However, there are still a lot of unknowns in the squad, particularly on the youth side.
Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage enjoyed terrific outings in midfield in the second half of the pre-season opener, and there is certainly plenty more where that came from for Ten Hag as the Dutch boss looks ahead to his second game in charge against Melbourne Victory.
Albeit these are merely tune up games ahead of the big Premier League curtain raiser in just over three weeks’ time, Ten Hag is still set to have selection headaches going into every next game – with the full traveling squad fit to play, as per the boss himself.
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In theory, both Iqbal and Savage held their own impressively against a high level of opposition and you would figure that may have earned the teenage midfield duo more minutes on the tour. However, Ten Hag does have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young talent at his disposal.
Here are three players that could get a chance to impress the new boss against the Australian outfit:
Alejandro Garnacho
Perhaps to the surprise of many, the Argentina youth international did not see the field against United’s archrivals on Tuesday.
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Seniority prevailed in that one as the likes of Anthony Elanga, Amad and Facundo Pellistri emerged off the bench to get the first minutes of pre-season into their tanks.
But, at just 18, there is certainly no rush with Garnacho – especially considering that he had a busy summer prior to reporting for the first day of training under Ten Hag.
Garnacho shone in the popular youth international tournament in Toulon and only took a short break before meeting his new boss at Carrington for his first day in the office – an admirable show of commitment that certainly impressed the Reds faithful.
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The tricky winger possesses bags of talent and has a terrific season across all of United’s youth age groups under his belt last term. Preferring to operate off the left flank, Garnacho scored 14 goals and chipped in with six assists in all youth competitions in 2021/22.
The Argentine, who already has a senior call up to his name, scored seven goals and added three assists en route to the young Reds’ FA Youth Cup triumph – including a brace in the final against Nottingham Forest that really announced his arrival on the big stage.
Garnacho was rewarded with 12 senior minutes last season during Ralf Rangnick’s tenure – a late cameo against Chelsea and just over 10 minutes against Crystal Palace to conclude the disappointing campaign for the club.
Although it is still early days to Garnacho’s life in professional football, every new manager at United does typically have that one youngster that they bring along on the journey with them. Garnacho could yet prove to be Ten Hag’s and Friday’s game could be his opportunity to make a lasting, first in-game impression on the new boss.
James Garner
The 21-year-old central midfielder was one of the biggest absentees from the pre-season opener against Jurgen Klopp’s side due to a knock. Garner impressed last season with a terrific loan spell at Forest, helping the storied club back into the English top-flight.
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Garner ended an 18-month spell at Forest having made 69 appearances in all competitions, scoring 8 goals, and adding 10 assists from the heart of the midfield.
The England youth international had a tough loan spell at Watford to kick off his 2020/21 season, but showed enough promise for Forest to take a gamble.
Garner earned Chris Houghton’s, the then Forest manager, trust almost immediately and became such a stalwart in their side that they brought him right back for last season. Houghton ended up getting sacked, but that didn’t stop Garner from having an outstanding individual campaign.
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Forest completely turned their season around – from the relegation zone to promotion – under new boss Steve Cooper and Garner was one of the first names on the team sheet.
Garner was sent out on the above loans after showing immense quality in United’s U23s. He gradually became way too good for the reserve level and had to be given the platform to spread his wings.
His game translated into senior football seamlessly. Garner’s positioning, passing range, and determination are some of his biggest qualities in the engine room. His vision and passing make him an excellent deep lying playmaker who is also able to make dangerous late runs into the opposition area.
Additionally, Garner does not shy away from doing the dirty work – making him a potential option at No. 6 for Ten Hag in the upcoming season.
Forest have already loaned goalkeeper Dean Henderson from United, meaning a short-term return there has been ruled out. Garner trained during the week after the Liverpool game and with Ten Hag confirming everyone’s availability for the Victory game, audition number one for the midfielder may be on the cards.
Ethan Laird
The right-back position has reportedly been an area of the pitch that Ten Hag would like to improve this summer, but United may run out of either funds or time before that could happen.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot are the current senior options, and neither have been convincing enough to nail down a regular starting role. It’s fair to assume that Dalot is currently in pole position to start the season there for the Reds, but 20-year-old Laird could provide an interesting alternative.
The academy graduate turns 21 next month and has had an interesting 18 months. First, Laird excelled on loan at League One’s MK Dons under Russell Martin in 2020/21 before the former Norwich defender brought him along for his takeover of Championship’s Swansea.
Laird impressed his Dons’ boss so much that he quickly became the starter for the Swans at right wing back. With a license to attack, Laird was in his element and made 21 appearances by December of 2021 before picking up a knock.
Curiously, United ended his loan at Swansea while he was hurt and sent him to the promotion chasing Bournemouth. That threw a major spanner in the works and Laird continued to struggle with his fitness before entering Scott Parker’s good books near the end of the season.
Laird only made six appearances for the Cherries who got promoted back into the Premier League. However, the experience of having to fight through setbacks and earn a place in a competitive side will have done the defender the world of good.
There will be no handouts at United under the watchful eye of a manager of Ten Hag’s pedigree. The boss has already announced that any youth player that will feature regularly for him will have to earn every minute.
Despite his still tender age and an extensive injury history, Laird's fitness has improved massively over the last two seasons as he made the transition into senior football. With that, he is arguably the most complete right-back on United’s books at the minute.
Quick and adventurous going forward and diligent defensively, he could turn Ten Hag’s head – especially if United are not able to invest externally and lose Wan-Bissaka, who has been linked with an exit.
It will be interesting to see which players that were not used against Liverpool get a run out against Melbourne. With Dalot and Wan-Bissaka having 45 minutes each under their belts already, Laird could be in with a shout to get an opportunity to impress.
Topics: Manchester United, Alejandro Garnacho, James Garner, Erik Ten Hag, Football
Arion Armeniakos