Approaching their 4000th game with an academy player in their match-day squad, Manchester United are quite rightly seen as one of the clubs at the forefront of giving young, homegrown starlets a chance to shine. That incredible feat will be achieved when they take on Everton this Sunday, but their Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar provided yet more evidence of just amazing the situation is.
Whilst Mason Greenwood stole the show with his two goals, Ethan Laird making his Old Trafford debut went rather under the radar. Another one of United’s talented academy products, the 18-year-old could be set for a bright future, and after seeing him take to the hallowed turf in mid-week, fans of the Manchester side flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the latest local lad to make his mark.
A couple of fans were quick to point out some of the key traits and characteristics they felt made Laird stand out in particular, with one supporter hailing him for his composed nature.
A few supporters compared the defender to some of the players in the squad like Diogo Dalot and Ashley Young, with a couple even claiming that he is already much better than the latter.
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving in a £50m deal in the summer from Crystal Palace, it is difficult to see Laird edging him out anytime soon. But if he can continue to progress with the academy sides, there is no reason why he can’t eventually compete for a first-team place with United’s current first-choice right-back.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans react to transfer interest in this Bundesliga sensation.
