Manchester United breaks another premier League record
It’s not been a perfect season for Manchester United, but Erik ten Hag has been better than any of his rivals in one area.
The academy at Manchester United has been thrust into the centre of attention this season once again, and it seems there’s an unlimited pool of golden prospects.
Wes Brown has opened up about being declared bankrupt – almost a year after a petition was filed against him by HMRC
Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown
Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown
Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has opened up about being declared bankrupt.
Brown made more than 300 Premier League appearances during a career which saw him turn out for United and Sunderland, among others. The 44-year-old was part of both of United’s Champions League winning squads under Sir Alex Ferguson, starting the final against Chelsea in 2008.
However, he ended up losing a fortune following the end of his playing career. The former England international, who also split from wife Leanne in 2022, is claimed to have lost millions in property deals.
And now speaking on The Ben Heath Podcast, the former defender has opened up on the issues which he said ‘came to a head’ in 2023.
He said: “It’s a long story and I won’t go into the detail, but it’s stuff that happened a long time ago with certain investments and getting into stuff that as a young kid, a lot of people go into, [but] don’t really understand what a lot of people are doing.
“Then it came to a head last year, and that’s how it went. Like I said, it’s happened and I’m just getting on with it but it’s one of those things where you hope people, especially this generation, don’t get involved in.
“Something a lot of especially footballers went into, a lot of people have been able to get themselves out of it or they’ve been sorting it out or whatever, but I just couldn’t. There’s not much I could do.
“I think the main thing going forward for me is I’m very lucky to still be doing what I’m doing and getting on with it. It’s not a nice thing, but I’m not the sort of person to cry about it or moan about it.”
When pressed further, he said: “I’ve had a lot of players that have said ‘I’m in the same thing’. I won’t say names… and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the same outcome will happen to them.
“But it’s stuff like when you’re kids you don’t really understand it anyway, you just assume a lot of people are doing it and it’s fine. That’s not your life, you’re just playing football.
“I think the main thing is when you are making a lot of money, you need the right people, don’t you?” he added. “And I would say that’s one of the things I didn’t have.
“It was a little bit different. It wasn’t lots of people you go and speak to, just you maybe meet people and do this do that. I wasn’t interested in any of that. You said yes and got on with it.”
The U18 side has been immense with several of the group now moving toward U21 and senior football.
These players such as Harry Amass, Shea Lacey and Bendito Mantato will see a path to the senior side already laid out for them.
The path is because they’ll have seen Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and now Willy Kambwala all earn Erik ten Hag‘s trust over the past year.
Now, it’s been revealed just how much he trusts his young talents.
Manchester United v Liverpool – Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United lead the top six in impressive fashion
For United, youth has always been a huge part of the clubs identity and under Ten Hag that has been no different.
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With his established seniors faltering, the Dutchman has turned to his academy at various points already, rarely being let down.
In fact, United’s best players this season have been the youth and now the data to show how heavily they’ve been relied on can be seen.
Minutes given to teenagers this season by Premier League top six sides
Team Minutes
1st Manchester United 3,637 minutes
2nd Manchester City 698 minutes
3rd Aston Villa 360 minutes
4th Liverpool 117 minutes
5th Tottenham Hotspur 56 minutes
6th Arsenal 14 minutes
As per Statman Dave.
As we see here, United have a commanding lead over the rest of the top six clubs.
Even combined, the tally is nearly three times the amount of the other five.
This is arguably the biggest strength of the current manager and one reason he could be impressing Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
For the current manager, playing youth prospects has become a staple of his time at the club with Omari Forson another teen to get league minutes.
This – while not to the same level – is reminiscent of the greatest Old Trafford managers in history including Sir Alex Ferguson.
With the likes of Garnacho and Mainoo the first names on the team sheet, we have no doubt Ten Hag will also have his mind set on some of the world-class potential players in the ranks currently.
It’s his saving grace at the club and for as long as it works he may as well embrace playing the youth.
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