Altrincham boss raves about Ethan Ennis performance in Man Utd U21 win

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Manchester United’s under-21 side delivered a big performance in midweek away at non-league side Altrincham.

It is always good to have a bit of club football during the international break. Manchester United’s under-21 side stepped up, featuring in the National League Cup.

United’s under-21s won 4-0 away at Altrincham, an impressive result considering several academy stars were away on youth international duty.

Ethan Ennis scored a hat-trick, sealed with an injury-time goal, while 16-year-old Amir Ibragimov was also on target.

Ethan Ennis praised

Amir Ibragimov was sensational in midfield, tireless off the ball and excellent on it, and he was singled out for praise on MUTV.

Speaking to Altrincham’s Messenger outlet, their manager Phil Parkinson picked out Ennis for his performance, and the way he seized his opportunities.

Parkinson said: “We were not clinical enough, whereas Ennis was super clinical for them.

“Ennis was the player of the game. He was outstanding and punished us every time he got an opportunity.”

Ennis currently has nine goals for the season and a further three assists, and after impressing in a pre-season friendly against Rosenborg, he is beginning to make a real case for himself for either a loan, or a first team call-up.

Ennis bounces back

Ethan Ennis signed for Manchester United from Liverpool in 2021, and he enjoyed a strong debut season for United’s under-18s side, where he was Alejandro Garnacho’s deputy.

Then in summer 2022 disaster struck when he suffered a torn ACL, which meant he did not play a single game in 2022/23.

2023/24 was a recovery season, where he only began to make an impact in the second half of the season, yet was utilised cautiously.

Now in 2024/25, Ennis is back on track, and playing with the kind of explosiveness he had when he joined, showing no ill-effects of his injury.

His performance in midweek showed his growing confidence, an ability to score from the edge of the box, and finish one on ones. Right now it looks like the sky is the limit.