‘While Wayne Rooney is desperate to see new faces, Sir Alex Ferguson has a new golden age knocking on the first team door that could in fact save Manchester United millions in the years to come.’

Do Manchester United fans have faith that the young stars on display against Wolves on Tuesday are good enough to be seen as the new generation. After watching the game on Tuesday, it is obvious Manchester United have some very impressive youngsters but can they break into the first team squad in the future?

The Carling Cup tie against Wolves provided Manchester United fans with another glimpse of what the future holds at Old Trafford. In the main, the youngsters did well against an aggressive and strong Wolves outfit. The first half was a dour affair – Wolves didn’t commit too many men forward whilst United looked off the pace. That isn’t surprising though. What sceptics of this United squad have said is that the team lacked imagination and penetration. There are no reserve fixtures in October for the players. United fielded a squad that hadn’t really played competitive action for a month, so of course it was going to take time for the players to gel and get into the game. Without a doubt the game improved in the second half, and both Manchester United and Wolves were involved in a great second half cup tie.

What are Manchester United’s priories. Do they need to go out and buy top quality players or would the fans prefer to see Raphael, Chris Smalling, Federico Macheda and Gabriel Obertan given their chance in the first team. When Manchester United lost 3-1 to Aston Villa at the start of the 1995/1996 season, not too many people were signing the praises of the youngsters that have gone on to provide the club with so much success. The youngsters need to be given time to gel with one another and fans have to accept with so many youngsters in one team the players are likely to make mistakes. Without a doubt though, they will improve and some could force their way into Manchester United’s first team squad over the next couple of years.

[divider]

The question is are some of the players good enough for the Manchester United squad, either now or in the future. For example, Gabriel Obertan hasn’t shown what he can do when given his chance in the team. He was described as the unpolished gem of French football when he arrived – a tag that he hasn’t lived up to. Gabriel Obertan does not have the quality to succeed at Manchester United and should be sold at the earliest opportunity. Federico Macheda is in the same kind of position. Without doubt the Italian has serious potential but he hasn’t ever shown this when given the chance to start a game. Will Macheda ever be able to live up to the goal against Aston Villa? That is what he is always going to be compared against. The problem is when does potential have to turn into something more serious in the youngsters. If the likes of Raphael, Gibson and Macheda were going to make it at Manchester United, wouldn’t they have made the step to commanding a first team place by now. For example, United have issues at right back. It doesn’t seem that Sir Alex Ferguson trusts Raphael to play in this position week in week out.

The youngsters shouldn’t be judged unfairly by the game against Wolves. Ben Amos looked solid in goal, Chris Smalling showed the signs of a very decent defender and Bebe, with a bit of tweaking could be a great addition to the Manchester United squad. The fans shouldn’t be overly worried by what they did or did not see. The game lacked atmosphere, and the players were rusty due the lack of reserve team action in October.

Are United fans torn between wanting to see a new generation of youngsters come through and be as successful as the last, and wanting too see big name signings coming to Old Trafford. In all fairness one will be at the expense of the other. If you look at Manchester United’s bench at the moment, it doesn’t stand up to Arsenal’s, Manchester City’s or Tottenham’s. Manchester United need to sign big players for sure, but somehow need to keep developing the talent in the ranks. United have a great deal of talent away on loan at the moment, something that shouldn’t be forgotten. Sir Alex Ferguson needs to retain a balance between bringing these potential stars through and purchasing talent. This has to be the future of Manchester United. Hopefully the fans will be happy with the results.

Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed or contact me on twitter here

*

Fancy playing your mates every week in a Premium Fantasy Football game?