Jim Thwaites could be a major winner from Man Utd’s pre-season, and his latest transformation shows he’s up for the challenge.
With no new signings in town, Michael Carrick will likely start the pre-season with the same players he finished the last season.
As internationals return from the World Cup, it’s a chance for academy players to step up and stake their claim for a first-team berth.
Jim Thwaites has been banging on that door for a while, and his preparations for the upcoming pre-season show a major transformation.
Which player does Jim Thwaites remind you of?
Do you think he will make it in the first team at Man Utd?
Jim Thwaites looks ready for senior football
Thwaites broke onto the scene as a set-piece specialist, creating viral clips of his remarkable free-kicks and corners while playing for the academy.
Since then, he has become much more than a social media sensation, adding combativeness to his game, with some passing acumen as well.
Thwaites has a good head on his shoulders, as he was also praised by Ruben Amorim during the last post-season tour.
The one concern about his step-up to the senior team was his physicality, or the lack of it.
In a recent training video posted of Thwaites in action, he has shown a remarkable transformation, turning from the slight, technical kid to a buffed and professional football player.
He can be seen practicing his shooting technique, which also shows his future lies in the No. 10 position under Carrick instead of as a deep midfielder.
However, now that he’s adding muscle to the combative part of his game, he can allow Carrick to experiment with him in a deeper role as well.
He can crash the box from that position and help progress the play due to his technical excellence.
Michael Carrick won’t ignore Thwaites
Thwaites is one of the few players Carrick has specifically spoken about, taking him with the senior team hours after he played an academy game last season.
Where will Jim Thwaites be in 12 months?
He's got all the tools to excel in the Manchester United first-team…
He has exactly the kind of skillset and footballing IQ that separated Carrick from his peers.
The only difference is that Carrick was underappreciated in his time, while Thwaites’ skillset is more widely recognised and respected now.
There’s no better mentor for Thwaites than the Man Utd manager, and if the youngster manages to impress, it’s a given that Carrick will give him a long rope.
He plays a difficult position with a unique skillset, but his drive to improve is evidenced by the massive leaps he’s taken in just one season.
If he keeps up that trajectory, United will have a bona fide success story from the academy to add to an already esteemed list.
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