It seems like the Manchester United U18s stole the shooting boots of the senior team, as the contrast in fortunes for the two sides is stark.
While the senior team struggles to put away even the simplest of chances, the Man United U18s have put on an absolute finishing clinic.
The U18 side thrashed Blackburn Rovers 9-0 in a complete mauling to reinforce their credentials as title contenders again this year.
The win keeps them at the top of the U18 Premier League table, having won all five of their games, scoring 21 times and conceding just one.
Adam Lawrence’s crop is gaining a remarkable reputation for being the best youth side in the country after winning three titles last season and this win is the latest to hammer home the point, driven by a senior international.
Man United U18s deliver thrashing
Coming into the game, Blackburn had also won two of their first four games so while United were still favourites for this one, this was by no means a complete walkover.
Nobody told the kids that, as Gabriel Biancheri opened the scoring in the fifth minute to set United and himself on the way.
The Welshman has been on fire this season and he took his finish with his weaker foot emphatically, the sign of a man in supreme form.
Zachary Baumann doubled the lead in the 30th minute, before Biancheri piled on the misery in the very next minute with another clinical finish.
James Scanlon got into the act in the 36th minute with a calm finish and Dante Plunkett helped himself to his first goal for United when he tucked away Tyler Fletcher’s pass for United’s fifth before half-time.
There was no stopping the U18s in the second half either, as Scanlon got his second in the 63rd minute with a composed shot in the far corner after the ball fell to him in the box.
Defender Godwill Kukonki joined in the proceedings, as he found himself in the attacking box after a corner where he finished with aplomb to score United’s seventh.
It was the James Scanlon show afterwards, as he scored in the 76th and 84th minute to help himself to a total of four goals as United U18s put on a show in a 9-0 victory.
The kids are alright!
The fruits of United overhauling their youth setup after years of getting left behind by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City are finally showing.
United rested on their laurels for far too long but they have woken up and seem to have done so with a vengeance.
There is no doubting that United have the best youth system currently in England, and the first-team manager’s willingness to give them a chance in the first-team is only strengthening those efforts.
It is scary to think what a clinical finisher like Chido Obi-Martin could do in this side. The Dane has a remarkable scoring record in the youth circuit and this United side creates and scores for fun.
Some promotions to the U21s setup might be due in the near future if they keep this form up, especially in the striking department, as Scanlon is already a senior international for Gibraltar.
In a window where United spent millions but bought just one senior attacker, perhaps Ineos think the same.
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