Believe It: Manchester United’s Core Will Build Something Special For The Future

To say that Manchester United has not been on their best form would be a massive understatement. Sure, they drew against Liverpool and lost to Huddersfield in their last two Premier League matches. But overall this season has been a success so far for The Red Devils. They sit second in the EPL standings, first in their UEFA Champions League group, and just reached the quarterfinals in the Carabao Cup. By all accounts, they have been one of the best teams in Europe in the current term.

And if we take a look at their roster, we can see they are expected to become an European powerhouse for years to come. Some of United’s best players are still quite young, and they have slowly built a core that should give the fans titles and satisfactions in the short-, mid-, and long-term scenario. Let’s start analysing on a positional basis to further evidence what we are talking about.

Defence

If we measure goalkeepers on the idea that they have their best years past the 30-year-old mark, then United should have quality between the posts for the foreseeable future. David De Gea is already considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world and at 26, many experts believe the Spaniard is not even close to reach his peak yet. His best years will certainly come in 4-5 more years. And if he is not with the team by that time, then there is Joel Pereira. The Portuguese is only 21 years old, but his upside is tremendous.

On the other hand, defenders tend to live their best years between the ages of 28 and 33. And while players such as Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are already 27, there are other alternatives who are young and should remain as starters for years to come. The centre-back duo of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelöf are both 23, and while the Swede has not performed very well since his arrival during the summer, Bailly already has the looks of a fan favourite who can fill the void left by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

As if that was not enough, Luke Shaw is just 22 years old. He has not played much in recent years due to injury, but make no mistake. When healthy, he is one of the best left-backs in Europe. And he has enough time in the world to get back to his old self. He is certainly one player United should hold on to as long as they can.

Midfield

The midfield area must be the one area where United have more veterans. Michael Carrick is on the verge of retiring, and Marouane Fellaini is not exactly getting any younger. The Belgian tower is already 29 years old, same age as Nemanja Matic and only one older than Ander Herrera. Paul Pogba is the only midfielder who is a regular while being 25 or younger. So one of the team’s priorities during the transfer market should be to find a young CM who can start for years to come.

The name of Julian Weigl has been constantly mentioned as a possibility in recent weeks, and at 22 years of age, he would certainly fit the bill. Scott McTominay already made it to the first-team squad from the Academy, however, and is another name to keep close tabs in coming years.

Attack

If we look at the attacking positions, then United must be one of the wealthiest teams when it comes to the amount of talented young playmaker who can occupy a number of attacking roles. Let’s take a deeper look:

• Anthony Martial: 21 years old, can play on both wings or as a second striker.
• Jesse Lingard: 24 years old, can play as a winger on both flanks or as an attacking midfielder.
• Marcus Rashford: 19 years old, can play all over the attacking third. Named third on the 2017 Golden Boy Award list.
• Romelu Lukaku: 24 years old, central striker proven with almost 100 Premier League in his career.

Of course, finding attacking players is a thing of every single transfer window. So we shouldn’t rule out Manchester United adding a few more attacking weapons to their arsenal in coming years.

One thing is certain, though. The Red Devils have enough weapons to build a sustainable winner for years to come. And they can do it if they simply develop their in-house talent over the next few years. That’s a luxury not many teams in the world currently have.