Manchester United’s Antony has become the latest player to praise the impact of the youngsters coming through the club’s academy.

In what has been a dark year in many respects for United, the progress of the youth teams and academy players have been a shining light.

This season has seen the rapid development of academy graduates Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnachoin  the first team, while Omari Forson and Willy Kambwala have also become regular members of the squad.

In addition, last week saw the introduction of Ethan Wheatley against Sheffield United, who became the 250th academy graduate to represent the first team.

The form of the under-18 team has also been a cause for huge optimism, as they won the Premier league Cup against Manchester City and destroyed arch-rivals Liverpool 1-9 earlier this month.

Captain Bruno Fernandes has also already spoken on the need for the first team to create the right conditions for academy players to continue to flourish when they break into the squad. Speaking to the club’s official website, Antony has become the latest player to lavish praise on the young players breaking through.

“It’s certainly been an excellent season for Garnacho. He’s still a very young lad and full credit to him for his performances. I’m really happy for him and hope he continues doing what he knows how to do with a focused mind and continues helping us marking, making passes and running for the team.”

The 24 year old also reserved praise for Kambwala and Kobbie Mainoo.

Discussing the French defender’s recent game against Liverpool he stated, “I’m really pleased for them. Willy is really hard-working, always training hard and I’m delighted with the game he had against Liverpool. He had a great game and I congratulated him afterwards.”

“Kobbie has had a longer run of games,” Antony continued. “He’s a huge talent. I see so much talent there and I’m really happy for his performances.”

“I’ve been in the position of these young players – although I’m still only 24, I was also playing at their age as well. With their talent, together with focus, a supportive family and looking after themselves, things will happen naturally for them.”

The Brazilian winger scored at the weekend and certainly put in one of his better performances as of late. He will be hopeful that he and the young players can finish the season on a high with a victory in the FA Cup final in less than a month’s time.

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Kambwala’s impressive performances for United this season whenever given the chance by Erik ten Hag, have seen the youngster rise from a youth team regular to a first-team player in a very short space of time.

He made his full debut for United in the 2-0 defeat against West Ham in December at the London Stadium.

More recently he was handed just his second start for the Red Devils in their blockbuster 2-2 draw vs. bitter rivals Liverpool at home, amidst an injury crisis in the defensive department. Even at the moment, Kambwala and Harry Maguire remain the only fit and available central defenders available to Ten Hag for selection, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane all sidelined.

Against Jurgen Klopp’s men, Kambwala was excellent and did a great job of nullifying Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah. His exploits earned him praise from Ten Hag and Rio Ferdinand, who named him the man of the match.

However, it hasn’t been all easy for Kambwala, who has had to overcome a lot of fitness difficulties during his time at Old Trafford. The Frenchman joined United at the same time as Marc Jurado (from Barcelona), Alvaro Fernandez (Real Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Atletico Madrid), Isak Hansen-Aaroen (Tromso) and Radek Vitek (Olomouc), as part of the club’s campaign to recruit some of the most promising players from Europe.

The Red Devils forked out £3.5million, for the then 16-year-old, who was tipped to have a bright future. However, just two weeks into his new life in England while already playing for the U21s, Kambwala suffered a severe ankle injury in a friendly match against Salford City. The setback ruled him out of competitive action for almost a year.

After that, he struggled for consistency and sustained a string of smaller issues that hampered his progress.

It speaks to Kambwala’s mental fortitude that he worked through all those challenges to capture Ten Hag’s attention and promotion into the Dutchman’s senior set-up.

According to The Athletic, the teenager is not taking chances with his fitness and has adopted a ruthless regiment to ensure he stays injury-free.

The newspaper reports, “Kambwala had been brought to their attention by Mathieu Seckinger, an academy scout based in France who also identified Hannibal Mejbri, who was signed the previous summer from Monaco’s academy.”

“Kambwala, who still lives in club digs, is known for clocking in early at United’s Carrington base before training to get through additional injury prevention work — often two and a half hours before the rest of the squad are due to arrive.”

It’s a testament to the level of his dedication and ruthless committment – almost akin to that of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo – that he’s willing to go to such lengths to ensure he’s ready to play when called upon by his manager.

Kambwala’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025 and it’s not a surprise that United are eager to agree terms over a new deal to extend his stay at the club.

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Erik ten Hag named an unchanged starting XI from the one that held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw a week ago. Andre Onana started in goal with a defensive four of Diogo Dalot, Willy Kambwala, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka ahead of him.

Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes were deployed in the middle of the park. Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford on either side of him. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

Shambolic defending from United

United headed into the break a goal down and with the score at 2-1 in the Cherries favour. In truth, the Red Devils were lucky to still have been in the game considering the sheer amount of clear-cut chances that Bournemouth failed to convert.

Bournemouth registered 12 shots at Onana’s goal and most of them were excellent goalscoring opportunities. It seemed that every time they went forward and attacked United, they found it very easy to cut through the backline and test Onana.

Indeed, both goals scored by Andoni Iraola’s men came about as a result of some pitiful defending from United. Dominic Solanke shed first blood just 16 minutes into proceedings when he capitalised on a number of mistakes from United.

Garnacho casually lost the ball and failed to get back to provide defensive cover. The ball found its way to Solanke, who only had Kambwala. The centre-back lost his footing, giving Solanke the space and time to pick his spot. The England striker made no mistake as he fired the ball into the back of the net for his 17th goal of the Premier League season.

United fought back and against the run of play, restored parity via Fernandes who volleyed his effort past the reach of Neto.

However, as has been the case for large parts of the campaign, Ten Hag’s side couldn’t build on the momentum and conceded soon after – this time five minutes after grabbing the equaliser. Bournemouth produced two line-breaking passes in midfield as they took advantage of just how sluggish United were in closing down the spaces. An unmarked Justin Kluivert found himself inside the box with amateurish space. The 24-year-old squeezed his shot into the bottom-left corner. Onana should have arguably done better and should have certainly not been beaten at his near post.

The most shocking thing about Bournemouth’s second goal and how it came to be is that the Cherries didn’t really have to break a sweat to get in. Even Kluivert himself would have been confused with just how much space and time they left him to work with.

Beyond the Reds’ poor defending, they just seemed lethargic and bereft of any ideas. The players were unable to keep hold of the ball and sustain meaningful spells of pressure and possession that would have given Bournemouth one or two issues to think about.

Going forward, United looked bereft of any ideas and any little attacking impetus seemed rushed and speculative at best. In conclusion, it was the typical performance fans grown accustomed to under Ten Hag this season.

Garnacho and Mainoo burnout concerns

Another theme that was noticeable in the match vs. Bournemouth was just how tired Garnacho and Mainoo seemed. This has been the case for some time now and it reared its ugly head once again.

Garnacho and Mainoo have this season taken massive strides in their respective United careers and have quickly become two of Ten Hag’s trusted lieutenants. Garnacho in particular has started more than 30 consecutive games for the 20-time English champions across all competitions. Mainoo on the other hand made his 24th appearance across all competitions. Since he came back into the team late last year, he has been an almost guaranteed presence in the manager’s starting XI selections.

The academy duo was not at their sensational best at the Vitality Stadium and considering the minutes they’ve been racking up in recent weeks, it’s not very surprising that fatigue and burnout seem to have caught up with them.

On more than one occasion, Mainoo was caught in possession as he held on to the ball for one or two seconds longer – very uncharacteristic of him to say the least. Not to say that the 18-year-old was poor but he wasn’t as sharp as he usually is. Mainoo still did well and outshone most of his senior and more experienced teammates. In fact, he’s the one who won a penalty just after the hour mark that drew United level. Mainoo’s shot took a deflection and hit Adam Smith’s hand, giving the referee no choice but to award a penalty. Fernandes scored from the ensuing spot-kick.

Garnacho on the other hand appeared to be finding it difficult to execute his defensive responsibilities. One thing that cannot be questioned about the Argentine is his work rate but against Bournemouth, he lacked the edge and tenacity that usually highlight his play. Garnacho was taken off at half-time and replaced by Amad Diallo who took his position on the right wing.

It’s important to note that both Garnacho and Mainoo are still teenagers and while their talent is undeniable, their workload must be carefully managed to keep them continuously fresh and fit.

Amad and Mason Mount deserve a bigger role in the team

Amad played the second period of the game following Garnacho’s substitution and during the time he was on the pitch, the Ivorian was good and showed the kind of impact he can have if afforded more minutes.

The winger was very neat and tidy on the ball and gave United some much-needed composure in the final third.

His passing was measured and accurate. Often, United have been slammed for being too frantic in their actions but Amad was the polar opposite to this. When required, he slowed the game down and helped knit the attack together.

Before the Bournemouth game, the 21-year-old only had 46 minutes of top-flight action to his name this season. It’s scandalous that he hasn’t been used more this term considering his valuable skill set and what he brings to the side.

Another player whose situation closely mirrors Amad’s is Mason Mount. The English midfielder came on in the 78th minute for Mainoo – a surprise personnel change considering Casemiro was yet again United’s poorest player on the pitch and it would have Ten Hag would have been best served by doing away with the Brazilian.

Mount was Ten Hag’s marquee summer signing but he has been used very sparingly when available although admittedly, his maiden season at Old Trafford has been disrupted by injuries.

In recent games when he has been thrust into the action, Mount has been a breath of fresh air. It’s puzzling that he’s not playing more during a period in which Casemiro continues to be a liability for United in midfield.

Both he and Amad need more chances if United are to finish the season strong and hold off their rapidly approaching rivals.

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Andre Onana has endured a rollercoaster of a Manchester United career to date.

His signing from Ajax in the summer was met with much fanfare as the Red Devils and Erik ten Hag finally had a modern keeper who was as comfortable as they come on the ball.

However, he soon became the villain as a string of high-profile errors in the Champions League helped contribute to the side’s early exit, especially two soft goals conceded in Istanbul that saw the Red Devils throw away the lead twice against Galatasaray.

However, the keeper has really turned his season around since then and has been one of the few consistently strong performers for the Red Devils since the turn of the year. He even won the club’s Player of the Month award for March.

Speaking to Sky Sports on his early criticism he claimed, “in life, everything is temporary and so you have to find a good balance”.

“Not too high, not too low… I knew six months before, I was seen as the best. Then it can be that in six months, everything changes and you just have to deal with the situation.”

“Critics are a part of life, especially when you reach this kind of level”.

The Cameroonian has also been complimented for his positive role in and around the dressing room and staff at Carrington have described him as the biggest positive influence around the club.

The 28 year old has also taken on a mentorship of the younger players, acting as a sounding board and especially paying close attention to breakout star Willy Kambwala. It is said that “his fluency in Spanish, French, English, Italian and his understanding of Dutch marks him the ‘golden thread’ of the dressing room”.

Onana has also been quick to praise his teammates and coaching department for their role in helping him settle into the squad.

“We are in this together. I want to thank Tom [Heaton], Altay [Bayındır], Richard [Hartis] and Craig [Mawson]. It’s been a difficult time, a difficult situation, a difficult start for me. We have to protect each other, especially when things are not going good”.

“Most of the keepers who have been here at Manchester United had difficulty in the beginning. These are the kind of messages they were giving me, and the players also helped me so much”.

One of the most controversial topics of 2024 has been United’s ludicrous openness which has seen them concede more chances than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.

Elaborating a little on the issue he claimed, “if this year is a price to pay, I’m ready”.

The 28 year old then made a somewhat incredible statement for a keeper when he asserted, “last season, Manchester United didn’t concede so many shots. But I don’t think it’s a big issue because at the end of the day, football is about goals and now we are scoring a lot. We’ll receive some against us sometimes, but we have defenders that work hard and we will do everything to block the shots”.

“It’s the risk we take because we are a very offensive team with the quality we have in front”.

Whilst Onana is probably trying to deflect criticism from his defence and also demonstrate he has the confidence in his own ability to deal with such situations, it echoes the worrying statements from his manager.

Many fans have been left taken aback by Erik ten Hag’s inability to understand the problem with conceding so many chances and have been downright bemused by his stubbornness to continue to play this type of chaotic, transition-fuelled football.

The goalkeeper did admit that injuries have certainly played their part in the team’s defensive woes but concluded that any player representing the club should have the skillset to deal with it.

“Well, it’s quite easy when you’re used to playing with the same back four,” Onana concedes but added, “We are Manchester United, so every player around the first team has the level to belong here”.

“Unfortunately we have a lot of injuries but that is an opportunity for others – like Willy, he was brilliant for us”.

“Being a goalkeeper is a position with a lot of responsibility. You have to be ready to play with anyone and… I can’t complain. Of course, when you are used to playing with the same line, it’s the best, but at the moment we don’t have that”.

Onana refused to answer the question on his best game, as he doesn’t believe he has shown his true potential yet but he does have a favourite experience, the topsy-turvy 4-3 FA Cup victory over Liverpool last month.

“It was crazy,” he puffs. “I was in shock. It was just beautiful to be there. The noise, it was so loud. The joy… wow!”.

Onana will be hoping to have a quieter evening than he has become accustomed to as of late against Bournemouth this evening.

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