Tom Huddlestone names four Man Utd academy talents Erik ten Hag can build his team around

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Tom Huddlestone believes that Manchester United have to build their team around four academy players in the future.

Erik ten Hag has a mixed record of bringing through youth talent at the club with several promising players leaving this week.

Alvaro Fernandez joined Benfica on an initial loan with the Portuguese side having to make it permanent if he starts 50 per cent of their games.

Hannibal Mejbri has also departed the club this week as he joined La Liga side Sevilla. The Tunisian also joined the La Liga side on an initial loan with the Spanish giants having the option to make that deal permanent for £16 million.

Huddlestone names United’s fulcrum

Speaking in an interview on talkSPORT, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City midfielder, who has joined United’s academy in a player/coach role, has spoken about the importance of building around four stars in particular.

When asked about what transfer strategy United should implement once Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are officially through the door, Huddlestone believes there should be a mix of experience and youth.

“You’ve seen your Paris Saint-Germain’s try and do it with more senior players and it has not quite happened and apart from when Sir Alex did it in the 1990s with a really young squad, I don’t think we have seen it since, Huddlestone said.

“If you can get a bit of experience through the spine of the team and blending that with Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Willy Kambwala, Dan Gore, they’ve been in and around the first-team this season, I think you can get a lot of success that way.”

Importance of youth

There is no doubt that one aspect of the Red Devils cannot change no matter what and that is their trust in academy players.

Over the years, there have been plenty of academy players who have gone on to great things either at United or elsewhere.

Marcus Rashford, United’s top goalscorer last season is a shining example of this and it’s good to see the Red Devils have continued this trend with Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho now regular starters under Ten Hag.

Whether Dan Gore or Willy Kambwala will be good enough for the first team remains to be seen but the reality is, United have to give these players a chance to shine and the hope is that the new transfer strategy can carry this legacy on.