Manchester United’s youngest players of all time

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Who are some of Manchester United’s youngest players of all time?

It’s no dispute that United have put faith in youth and in particular academy graduates in the past.

Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson always had a philosophy to trust youth and it gave him great success over the club’s history amounting to numerous trophies.

So, with this – who are the youngest players to ever feature on the Old Trafford turf for the first-team squad? Find out below.

David Gaskell

Debut: October 1956 / Age: 16 years, 0 months, 19 days

Goalkeeper David Gaskell also made history on his debut because he became United’s first-ever substitute.

He was brought on in the Charity Shield against Manchester City and helped United to a 1-0 win.

Gaskell went on to make 120 appearances over the next decade for Sir Matt Busby’s side.

Jeff Whitefoot

Debut: April 1950 / Age: 16 years, 3 months, 14 days

Defender Jeff Whitefoot was United’s youngest-ever player before Gaskell broke his record.

He went on to play 95 games in total for the club but never managed to score.

Duncan Edwards

Debut: April 1953 / Age: 16 years, 6 months, 3 days

Duncan Edwards is regarded as one of England’s greatest-ever footballers.

He made 177 appearances in five years for United before his life was tragically cut short in the Munich air disaster.

Angel Gomes

Debut: May 2017 / Age: 16 years, 8 months, 20 days

Angel Gomes made his debut at the end of the 2017 season in a win over Crystal Palace.

He went on to make a total of 10 appearances for the club before leaving as a free agent in 2020.

Willie Anderson

Debut: December 1963 / Age: 16 years, 11 months, 4 days

Anderson was a young striker United had high hopes for, but he played in an era of true club greats.

He made only 13 appearances before being transferred to Aston Villa in 1967.

Norman Whiteside

Debut: April 1982 / Age: 16 years, 11 months, 17 days

Norman Whiteside was United’s big hope in the 80s. He went on to play 274 games for the club.

His career was blighted by injuries in later years and he was sold to Everton in 1989, after scoring 67 goals for United.

Shola Shoretire

Debut: February 2021 / Age: 17 years, 0 months, 19 days

Shoretire played for United in the UEFA Youth League at just 14 and played for the under-23s at 16. So it was no surprise to see him fast-tracked into the first team.

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