Hopes For 2018: United's Young Guns Go For It

There are many things I’m looking forward to in 2018 - from the knockout stages of the Champions League to the World Cup in Russia. But I’m going to focus my look ahead to the New Year by focusing on the youthful talent we already have in the first-team squad and the prospects who are still coming through the ranks at Manchester United. In particular, I'm picking out five players who are all under the age of 23.

Marcus Rashford continues to get better and better so he will, no doubt, have a huge year. He could even light up the World Cup finals in the summer if England can perform. He’s one of the few English players who can beat a defender one-on-one and should definitely start for Gareth Southgate’s team, in my opinion.

Like Marcus, Anthony Martial has all the potential in the world and we’re seeing him produce top performances more consistently this season. He’s almost certain to go to the World Cup with France, but has stiff competition for a start in a squad blessed with an unbelievable array of forward talent! You ask any of our players about Anthony and they’ll all say the same thing - he could be one of the great players at this club if he realises his potential.

2017 has been a breakthrough year for Scott McTominay and I hope his progression continues in 2018. A couple of years ago, when he stood at just 5 feet 6 inches tall, first-team football looked a long way off for Scott. Since then, a growth spurt, fantastic coaching and a brilliant work ethic have ensured he now looks ready to compete for a place in our first team. Importantly, he remains humble and is hungry to play many more games for the Reds.

Back in 2016, Axel Tuanzebe played just 10 minutes of a pre-season friendly at Wigan. But Jose Mourinho saw enough in that time to publicly say that Axel had a bright future with United. He faces intense competition for a place in the side at the moment, with so many international defenders ahead of him, but I think we’ll see more and more of him in 2018. Like Scott, he’s a humble guy and completely dedicated to his profession, so he is definitely one to watch.

So too is a young man who put pen-to-paper on a new contract with the Reds in 2017, Angel Gomes. What a year it was for Angel! He became the youngest debutant since Duncan Edwards when appearing as a late substitute against Crystal Palace in May and he then captained England to glory at the Under-17 World Cup in India.

I sat down with him when he signed his new contract in December as he outlined his hopes and dreams for 2018 and beyond. You could see how thrilled he was, especially being a United fan from Salford, to continue his football education at the world’s biggest football club. I hope Angel has a great end to this season and gets the chance to join the squad for the summer tour.

There are so many more young players I could pick out, like Tahith Chong who’s tearing it up for the Under-18s and Mason Greenwood who, despite being an Under-16 player, has often starred at the higher level already. But you never know in football how young players develop, so who knows who’ll be the ones to watch in 2019!

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Skysports.com