Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Manchester United (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images )
As Manchester United look forward to next season, so will these young players.
Manchester United have had a successful season this time out, having already secured a place in the Champions League for next season. It’s not over yet, though, as they still have the Europa League to compete in this season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope for the best but he won’t put in maximum effort, having been relieved of the Champions League qualification burden.
Here are 3 young players that will look to make the most of Champions League football next season.
#3 Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Okay, I’ll get the controversial one out of the way first. The jury is still very much out regarding Timothy Fosu-Mensah, will he or will he not make it in a Manchester United shirt?
Having only featured for the Red Devils four times this season, the pointers certainly lean in the way of the latter. However, those four appearances were all made after project restart, which leads me to believe that Fosu-Mensah is mounting his own project restart.
He is receiving more trust from Solskjaer lately, which must mean that he’s seen something in training that has impressed him. If Fosu-Mensah can make the most of the upcoming Europa League chances that he will probably get, then he could win a place in the hearts of United fans again next season. Time will prove everything.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah</a>, will he or will he not make it in a Manchester United shirt?</p>
<p>Having only featured for the Red Devils four times this season, the pointers certainly lean in the way of the latter. However, those four appearances were all made after project restart, which leads me to believe that Fosu-Mensah is mounting his own project restart.</p>
<p>He is receiving more trust from Solskjaer lately, which must mean that he’s seen something in training that has impressed him. If Fosu-Mensah can make the most of the upcoming Europa League chances that he will probably get, then he could win a place in the hearts of United fans again next season. Time will prove everything.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A more certain option </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_483526" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-483526" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2020%2F08%2F1225984760-850x560.jpeg" alt="Manchester United" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Mason Greenwood, Manchester United (Photo by OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>#2 Mason Greenwood</h3>
<p>A tale of project restart has been the immense work of <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/58eee997/Mason-Greenwood?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mason Greenwood</a>. Upon first returning to action, the young Englishman was scoring goals for fun and it appeared that he had no weak foot. The United fans certainly were impressed with his displays which involved both the killer’s instinct to score goals and the unselfishness to create chances for his peers too.</p>
<p>Greenwood has scored 17 goals across all competitions for United this season, including 10 in the Premier League despite only 12 starts. That said, he is no stranger to the first team and in fact, there’s a substrata of fans that are calling for him to start week in, week out.</p>
<p>He will undeniably be a key factor to United’s bid to win the Europa League in the coming month, but he will have his eyes on next season in the Champions League. It is the competition which has made some of the best young players in recent seasons; <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/42fd9c7f/Kylian-Mbappe?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Kylian Mbappe</a> and Erling Haaland to name just two.</p>
<p>I am by no means saying that Greenwood is at that level yet, nor will he be for some time. But playing on the big stage and gaining European stardom will serve him well. He will also have his eyes on getting the England call-up from <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/a29c3ed6/Gareth-Southgate?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gareth Southgate</a> as Euro 2021 is looming.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Farewell to a legend, hello to his successor </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_483525" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-483525" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2020%2F08%2F1227707482-850x560.jpeg" alt="Sheffield United" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Dean Henderson, Sheffield United (Photo by PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>#1 Dean Henderson</h3>
<p>While not making much of his Manchester United career up to this point, fans will be very aware of what <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/e5a76dfe/Dean-Henderson?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Dean Henderson</a> can prepare. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has spent the season on loan at Sheffield United and helped them to a monumental finish this season. The Blades finished 9th in the table but could have easily finished higher; it was a very tight battle for European football towards the end.</p>
<p>Henderson too will have his eyes on a Euro 2021 call-up, with many already claiming he should start ahead of <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/4806ec67/Jordan-Pickford?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jordan Pickford</a>. A successful season at Old Trafford will be the telling factor for Southgate, I’m sure.</p>
<p><a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://fbref.com/en/players/7ba6d84e/David-de-Gea?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">David de Gea</a> is beginning to divide opinion among United fans. As a neutral fan, I can say that I’m on the side of Henderson. He is fresh, coming off the back of a terrific loan spell and makes far fewer mistakes than de Gea (who has frankly been dreadful since the restart).</p>
<p>David de Gea obviously holds a sentimental place in the supporters’ heart, and Solskjaer is still a big fan of his. However, he is beginning to test the patience, I would hope, of the club. Is Solskjaer isn’t seriously considering giving Henderson a place in the starting XI ahead of de Gea, then this is a nonsensical decision. The Spaniard shouldn’t be given a place in the XI on his status alone.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Why Manchester United must not cough up for Sancho" data-url="https://playingfor90.com/2020/07/09/manchester-united-not-jadon-sancho/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/08/01/3-young-players-manchester-united/"https://playingfor90.com/2020/07/09/manchester-united-not-jadon-sancho/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Why Manchester United must not cough up for Sancho </a> </div>
</div>
<p>Which young player are you most looking forward to watching for Manchester United next season?</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">