Man Utd’s "very special" teen is even more exciting than Kambwala & Amass
da dobrowin： There has been a sense of doom and gloom surrounding Manchester United for large parts of the current season.
da betsson： This was a campaign in which Erik ten Hag was supposed to take the Old Trafford club to the next level. They'd qualified for the Champions League and were coming into 2023/24 having won a trophy last time out.
Sadly, despite the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co, they haven't been able to shake the negative hoodoo surrounding the club.
There have been positives though. Ratcliffe's emergence has provided a glimpse of a brighter future, as has Kobbie Mainoo's growing influence.
The 18-year-old has been nothing short of superb and capped off a wonderful few weeks in which he earned his maiden England cap by scoring a sumptuous curling effort in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
It was a great result for United, one that was not just poignant for Mainoo but also for central defender Willy Kambwala and left-back Harry Amass. The former made his first Premier League start while the latter was in the senior squad for the very first time.
Why Harry Amass was in the squad
To his credit, Ten Hag hasn't been afraid to give opportunities to young players since becoming the man in the dugout at Old Trafford. The clash with Liverpool served as a reminder of that.
But why, we hear you ask, was a 17-year-old with no first-team football in his career on the bench?
Well, United's dire injury situation in defence will serve as the biggest reason. Over the weekend, they had to field their 26th different combination in the back four with Diogo Dalot, Kambwala, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka lining up alongside each other.
Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof both missed Sunday's game, as too did Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Subsequently, it was a wonderful opportunity for Amass to gain experience on the biggest of stages.
Just a teen, he has been a "standout" for the U18s this term – according to reporter Laurie Whitwell – who after signing from Watford in the summer of 2023 has featured on 19 occasions for United's youth sides, registering three assists.
Amass will no doubt get a chance for senior minutes at some stage but even if he didn't play, Kambwala did. Boy did he take his opportunity with both hands.
Kambwala's performance in numbers
The likes of Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez will have been licking their lips when they saw United's backline announced on Sunday.
Salah may have scored a late penalty but it's safe to say they didn't take full advantage of the injury situation plaguing United.
In short, Kambwala was exceptional, notably hailed as the player of the match in some quarters after the game. There was also fine praise from Ten Hag.
Perhaps the finest example of what the 19-year-old is about came in the first half. The DR Congo-born defender initially looked as though he'd got caught out in behind by Nunez but showed great recovery pace to get back and make life difficult for the Liverpool striker.
It was an exemplary display for someone so inexperienced as he left the field having won 100% of his aerial duels and two of his three ground duels.
Kambwala vs Liverpool
Minutes played
90
Touches
46
Accurate passes
29/36 (81%)
Long balls
2/5
Fouls
1
Interceptions
2
Tackles
1
Ground duels won
2/3
Aerials won
1/1
Stats via Sofascore.
That said, United have another fine youngster who could soon be ready for first-team football. Let's meet Shea Lacey.
Why Shea Lacey is so exciting
Lacey's progress has been hampered significantly by injury this season, missing the last four months of action.
However, he has now made his return and like the aforementioned Amass, was on the bench for the draw with Liverpool on Sunday.
There have been rave reviews for the young talent over the last year or so with the teenager, who is remarkably just 16 years of age, making waves at youth team level.
There have already been comparisons to Lionel Messi and Phil Foden but even if the first example is a tad extreme, the second certainly isn't.
A winger by trade, the teen is capable of playing off either side, although it's his performances from the left which see so many similarities with Foden, who is potentially on course to win the PFA Player of the Year this season.
Similar to the Manchester City gem, Lacey is slight in frame, has neat close control and regularly surges towards the penalty area to find goalscoring positions.
He has only appeared eight times this term but has scored twice, registering four assists in the process.
Said to possess a "left foot made of gold" by scout Jacek Kulig, he's also been described as a "very special" talent by journalist Alex Turk.
Both Kambwala and Amass' emergence in the first-team picture has been rather sudden but once Lacey gets his chance, it won't be sudden. This is a player who is showing all the qualities to be a high-level player and it won't be a surprise when he finally picks up some minutes under Ten Hag.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.