Five young Manchester United players could feature in the Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace
Manchester United compete in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening at home to Crystal Palace.
There is plenty of talent in Manchester United’s academy, as evidenced by 20-year-old Hannibal Mejbri, who has broken into the first team in the last two Premier League games.
The Carabao Cup match is a must-win but also presents a rotation opportunity, with Palace also injured and a number of United’s weekly starters in need of rest.
This is an opportunity for Manchester United’s young players to get involved, at least be in the matchday squad and maybe even start.
Five young Manchester United players could be recalled
In this list we did not include one teenager who will definitely be on the team, 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho, who is on the team every week. Most likely he will start in this match.
We also did not name 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who is still recovering from injuries. He did individual training last week, but it seemed like this match came too soon for him.
Here are five teenagers who could and probably should make the team today…
Dan Gore
Dan Gore, 18, won the Under-21 Player of the Season award last season, before impressing in pre-season with a particularly impressive performance against Lyon, in which he made the decisive pass .
Gore is a fighting midfielder, hard-working on the ball and has true Hannibal-like qualities. He is part of the FA Youth Cup winning campaign alongside Alejandro Garnacho in 2022.
Joe Hugill
Manchester United are in need of a striker and Joe Hugill could find himself in this option. He scored against Leeds in pre-season and also got a few minutes of action against Borussia Dortmund.
Hugill, 19, has started this season in good form for the Under-21s, scoring four goals and providing one assist in five matches. Based on that alone you can make a case for recalling him.
Omari Forson
Omari Forson caught the attention of Erik ten Hag during pre-season, playing 270 minutes across six matches.
He has scored twice for Manchester United Under-21s this season and the 19-year-old will be keeping an eye on this match as any other he may be called upon. Like Dan Gore, he was on the bench against Bayern Munich last week.
Rhys Bennett
Manchester United are currently short on defenders, so it was pleasing to see Rhys Bennett return from injury for the Under-21s this weekend.
Bennett played solidly in his only pre-season match against Leeds, before getting injured. The FA Youth Cup-winning defender could even have a chance to start if the Red Devils’ physical situation worsens.
Ethan Williams
17-year-old winger Ethan Williams was one of the best players at academy level last season and he has also started well this year, scoring for both the U18 and U21 teams.
Williams was pictured training with the Manchester United first team before the Brighton game and also before the Bayern Munich game, so he clearly has the attention of the coaching staff. This could be a match where they decide to watch it.
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