Callum Gribbin Making Waves with Manchester United's 2nd String

Those watching Manchester United's youngsters in recent years have had a lot to say about the mercurial emerging talents of Callum Gribbin.

Nick Poole, who covers United's youth team on Twitter as @ManUnitedYouth, said of the 17-year-old: "Gribbin is the most naturally talented and exciting prospect to come through the ranks at United since Ravel Morrison six or seven years ago. Unfortunately, as with Morrison, there are several attitude-related question marks that cast doubt over the likelihood of him fulfilling his immense potential."

In November 2015, Kyle Butterworth of Shoot wrote:

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Though his occasional outbursts on Twitter about being benched have seen him in hot water with his coaches, it could perhaps be forgiven given his young age. And in spite of his social media antics, Gribbin's on-field performances even earned him a substitute appearance for the under-21s against bitter rivals Manchester City last term, at the tender age of just 16.

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Regular United youth-team watcher Doron Salomon said: "He’s like a snake on the pitch [in] the way he glides over it, moving this way and that. Technically, he’s outstanding—the close control, the way he uses different parts of his foot for different kinds of passes [and] the way he eases past opponents."

Here we see Gribbin in action against Wolfsburg last season. His attempt does not quite come off, but his skill means it takes two of the German side's defenders to get him off the ball:

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For the first part of the move, he showed quickness of feet to sucker the defender in for a challenge before knocking the ball past him. That does not go quite right—the ball cannons into the other defender's legs—but Gribbin has both the speed of thought and technical ability to dig the ricochet out with a side-foot flick and knock the ball into space.

It is slightly overcooked and he loses possession, but playing against a player that talented with the ball at his feet is an enormous challenge, as Barcelona's youngsters found out in the Otten Cup earlier this summer.

After dropping into space just outside the edge of the area, Gribbin received the ball, took advantage of a moment of poor positional work from a Barca defender, burst into the box, beat two men and slipped the ball past two more for a goal.

Poole again: "Gribbin's skill set is pretty much everything you'd want from a No. 10—exceptional close control and vision, wonderful balance, deceptive pace (particularly when running with the ball) and the intelligence to find space in which to do damage.

"His glorious solo effort against Barcelona showcased all of the above, as well as his knack for scoring spectacular goals, be they from that sort of mazy run or from free-kicks, where he tests goalkeepers on a freakishly consistent basis."

Back in November, Pete Hall wrote a Bleacher Report special on Gribbin. At the time, Manchester United told him, "No coach, schoolteacher or anyone else involved with Callum Gribbin will be speaking about him, we don't want to put pressure on his shoulders."

However, his former England under-16 and under-17 coach Kenny Swain told Hall:

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I heard about Gribbs through our scouting network and everyone would say "You have to see this lad, he is similar to this player, or that player." Then I'd go and look at him, then within five minutes, you can see that this boy is something special.

He can take it under pressure anywhere. The best players tempt the opposition into the challenge, and it is all about the timing of release, which Gribbs has to a T, way beyond his years. Not many kids can deal with him or want to deal with him. He just sends them the wrong way and makes them look foolish. He leaves me breathless.

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As has been mentioned, there are questions about Gribbin's application and attitude. Poole added: "His ability is not always matched by application. Coaching staff often have to conspicuously cajole him into carrying out the less glamorous aspects of his role. There's a tendency to sulk, be that in the form of drifting out of games when things weren't going his way, or away from the field, where he's courted controversy already with outbursts on Twitter.

"He knows how good he is and has seemed at times to think that natural ability is enough, which perhaps explains why he's not pushed on regularly into the second string yet. Recent signs have been more promising, though, with more discipline being shown, often in a more demanding role in central midfield."

Salomon said: "There are definitely things he can improve on—he sometimes plays too much the way he is facing, and his work rate has been questioned. But I think that’s sometimes just a sign of frustration when things aren’t coming off or the team isn’t playing well."

When he is on his game, there is no shortage of determination, as the clip below demonstrates. Against Wolfsburg again, in a similar position, this time his decision-making and technique is reminiscent of a more traditional winger:

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He leaped over a sliding challenge in a way that brings to mind Ryan Giggs in his young years. He charges into space and delivers a decent near-post cross. Indeed, although that cross does not find his man, you can see Gribbin lift his head and think he has got a read on Marcus Rashford's run.

In the end, he picks the wrong option as Rashford was moving to the back post, rather than the near, but it could be argued that was the striker's mistake.

In this final clip, we see Gribbin at his best, even if a little rawness is also on display. Picking up the ball on the right side of the pitch, he knocked a smart pass into Timothy Fosu-Mensah. Alive to Gribbin's movement, and clearly with great confidence in his team-mate's ability on the ball, Fosu-Mensah returned the pass:

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Gribbin then showed his excellent dribbling ability to keep the ball away from the reach of the Wolfsburg defender, but he could have done with releasing it again a little sooner—this is an example of what Salomon said about "playing too much the way he is facing."

However, he did enough to win a foul, as a frustrated Wolfsburg midfielder significantly overreached for the ball and took out the United youngster's legs. That kind of treatment is something Gribbin will have to get accustomed to given his remarkable dribbling ability.

It is clear Gribbin is highly regarded by those who have been paying attention. Poole's comparison with Morrison is a phenomenal compliment when you consider how the latter, or his raw talent, was exalted. It has to be hoped that the Salford-born youngster can deal with the pressure that comes with that kind of talent and avoid some of the pitfalls that befell Morrison's United career.

He is still a young man with a long way to go, but he clearly has the tools to get there. No wonder he is making waves.

Quotations obtained firsthand where not otherwise stated.