Manchester United are benefitting from an abundance of talent coming through the youth system at present.
‘The class of 2022’ has already seen FA Youth Cup winning wonderkids Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho make the leap to the first team.
One of the stars of that team was Sam Mather, who had seen his progress stall over the past 12 months as he battled injuries.
Now, in a sensational performances for the under-21s at Old Trafford, Mather’s 2023/24 campaign has exploded into life.
Sam Mather scores four goals
Manchester United’s under-21 side played at Old Trafford at the weekend, as the team occasionally do, swapping the first team‘s home ground from the Carrington training pitches.
Lining up against Norwich City, Sam Mather rose to the occasion at the famous stadium, inspiring the team to a 4-2 victory.
Mather scored a hat-trick inside the opening 26 minutes, before adding a fourth goal in the second half.
The pick of the goals was his second, a direct free-kick worthy of the stadium it was scored in, glancing in off the underside of the crossbar.
Prior to the game, Mather had only scored once all season, now his tally stands at a very impressive five goals in six appearances.
Breaking down his irregular game time even further, Mather is now averaging a goal every 77 minutes he has been on the pitch.
Sam Mather a very bright talent
While Alejandro Garnacho rightly took the spotlight during the FA Youth Cup win in 2022, Mather also played a key role throughout United’s progress, scoring three goals during the tournament.
He played on the left wing for the under-21s against Norwich, but can also play on the right or through the centre.
Still only 19, the England youth international will be hoping for an injury-free second half of the season, and demonstrated at the weekend that he is keen to make up for lost time.
Manchester United should still retain high hopes that he can go on and follow his teammates into Erik ten Hag’s plans, he’s got the talent to do so.
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