Sir Alex Ferguson Reveals Youth Cup Starlets on Cusp of First Team
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed a number of last season's FA Youth Cup winning side are on the cusp of the first team.
Ferguson has hinted he could blood some of their talented youngsters in Manchester United's Carling Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, with Paul Pogba and the much talked about Ravel Morrison reportedly pushing for a place in the squad. The Scot suggests the club have a very important structure in place when it comes to the nurturing of young players, intimating he relies heavily on his staff for recommendations.
The Manchester United boss suggests the likes of reserve team coach Warren Joyce play a key role in determining whether or not a player has the necessary credentials to make the grade at Old Trafford. Following an endorsement from one of his trusted staff, Ferguson will then promote the player into the first-team training setup in order to decipher the youngster's temperament and attitude amid Manchester United's more established stars.
Ahead of Wednesday night's Carling Cup tie at Old Trafford, Ferguson hinted there were six young individuals currently supplementing first team training. In addition to Pogba and Ravel Morrison, the long serving Old Trafford chief named Jesse Lingard, Ezekiel Fryers, Larnell Cole and Michael Keane as those possibly in consideration for Manchester United's next game.
"The monitoring system here is good and there's a lot of consistency with our Academy staff," The Manchester United manager told the new edition of Inside United.
"These are guys that have been here a long time and know what to look for. When somebody like Paul McGuinness comes to me and says: 'He's a first-team player', then I know to keep a special eye on the player.
"From there, we'll bring the boy into first-team training for a couple of sessions. That's what we're doing at the moment with Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison, Jesse Lingard, Zeki Fryers, Larnell Cole and Michael Keane. They're all training with the first team at the moment.
"That allows me to see how they cope playing against seasoned professionals, it lets me judge their temperament.
"It allows me to get a far better picture of how they're progressing. And, while this is going on, you hope they're playing well for the Reserves and displaying the right attitude and enthusiasm.
"Players are never simply thrown into first-team action,"
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