Erik ten Hag is already putting his fingerprints on Manchester United’s academy.
That’s the verdict of a man who’s more than in the know at Old Trafford, under-21s boss Travis Binnion. The Red Devils youth manager led United’s youngsters to winning the FA Youth Cup in May and on Tuesday he did the same for an impressive 2-1 win at Carlisle in the EFL Trophy. Binnion’s side earned all three points in Cumbria thanks to goals from Charlie McNeill and Omari Forson, kicking off their Group G campaign with a win.
But in the bigger picture, Ten Hag’s influence is already being felt. “The manager’s been great,” Binnion exclusively told Mirror Football post-match. “Zidane [Iqbal] and Alejandro [Garnacho] played tonight but they’re with the first-team permanently. Omari [Forson] and Isak [Hansen-Aaroen] have been with them frequently like Kobbie [Mainoo] and Dan [Gore], so most of those boys have experienced first-team training in the last few weeks.
“The manager’s got a track record of putting players in as long as they’re good enough and this football club has, too. The boys have got to continue putting in performances like that, do well against Liverpool on Saturday now. It’s no good just playing well once, we’ve got to put performances together and make sure our development of the individuals keeps continuing and they learn about the game, and tonight’s a step in the right direction.”
As for Tuesday’s hard-fought victory, the United gaffer was delighted with both the result and his players experiencing a taste of “the real thing”, with 3,331 fans in attendance to create a raucous atmosphere. “The lads really look forward to these games, they’re the closest thing we can get in programme to the real thing,” Binnion explained.
“A crowd under the lights against senior opposition, it’s what we need and what we crave, and why our boys go out on loan for these experiences. I thought it was a great night, had a bit of everything in it and we’ll learn a lot from it.”
And with the summer transfer window set to slam shut at 11pm on Thursday, some of the Red Devils’ under-21s could be in line to follow teammate Hannibal Mejbri, who this week secured a season-long move to Birmingham City. “Obviously Hannibal’s played for Birmingham tonight and that’s the next stage for him,” Binnion noted when quizzed on the futures of his fledglings.
“What we’ll always do for our players is do what we think’s right and get the next stage right for them at the right time. You’ve gotta be really careful with that. There’s two days left and some boys might go out, but we’ll make the right decisions by our players and they’ll be involved as part of that decision-making process as well.”
Get involved! Who should Ten Hag call up to the senior squad? Let us know your picks in the comments section.
Finally, a tremendous 450 United fans made the journey up the M6 - but the highly-rated academy coach didn’t expect anything else but huge support from the Old Trafford faithful. “We’re a big football club, so the fans will always travel and support the young players,” Binnion added.
“There’s obviously a rich history of us producing players and a real passion from everyone involved to see young players play. We need these nights and more of them.”
