Louie Bradbury makes Manchester United under-21 debut, remember the name

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Manchester United’s under-21 side earned an impressive 4-0 win over non-league Altrincham in the National League Cup.

And while the big stories to emerge from the 4-0 win were the hat-trick from Ethan Ennis and the performance of Amir Ibragimov, there was also a key milestone for Louie Bradbury.

Louie Bradbury came off the bench in the final 10 minutes as part of a double substitution with Jim Thwaites.

And there is real reason to be encouraged by Bradbury stepping up, he is a potentially special talent who has been thriving in the academy.

Louie Bradbury’s achievements

Louie Bradbury’s opportunity to step for the under-21s came with Chido Obi-Martin and Gabriele Biancheri away on international duty.

Yet it is also recognition of his own ability, with the young prospect turning 16 in September.

United signed Bradbury from Shrewsbury Town in early 2023. And in his first full season in 23/24, he claimed to have scored 40 goals for the club’s youth sides.

Earlier this season Bradbury struck a hat-trick inside 36 minutes for Wales’ under-17s team, before bagging another hat-trick for United’s under-17s a fortnight later.

United have mixed Bradbury in with under-18s and under-21s in friendly matches in pre-season, and this was his first competitive match.

While he just got a few minutes, it was a sign he will get more chances later in the season.

• READ MORE: Manchester United’s Best Academy Players of All Time

Manchester United striker talent overflowing

Louie Bradbury stepping up was a reminder there is an overflow of goalscoring talent in the Manchester United academy.

With Ethan Wheatley already in the first team mix, Biancheri and Obi-Martin will be in the conversation before long. Victor Musa is also battling away and scored for the under-21s last week.

Goalscoring wingers like James Scanlon and Ethan Williams also big threats, while Ibragimov is showing he can be a real impact-maker in the attacking third.

While the first team have struggled in front of goal in 2024/25, that certainly is not the case a few levels below, and we could be hearing a lot more about these young stars in the future.