5 Manchester United Youngsters to Keep an Eye on

Manchester United's reputation as a producer of footballing talent has been well earned over the years. From George Best and Bobby Charlton, the Class of '92 and last season's promising turn from Adnan Januzaj, the club has always given youth a chance. 

This season has been no exception. Louis van Gaal has handed first-team debuts to eight academy products, six of whom have featured in the league. 

Only one of those players, though, makes this list of young players worth keeping an eye on. Mostly this list consists of those plying their trade in the youth ranks or on loan—although there is one noteworthy exception.

Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the youngsters who may go on to be the success stories of the future. 

Many thanks to Nick Poole of the Red Mancunian podcast, @ManUnitedYouth on Twitter, for his help on this one.

James Wilson

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James Wilson is simply too good to leave off the list.

Although he is the only one of these players to have played a senior game for the club, he is still definitely in the category of "promising" rather than fully established. This season has seen only sporadic involvement for Wilson, but there have been occasions in which he has been able to show his undoubted talent. 

Most notably, his inclusion in the starting XI when United faced Liverpool at Old Trafford was telling—a huge responsibility to give a youngster. He was tireless in that game, stretching Liverpool's defence and creating space for his colleagues. 

He has not been prolific, but he has mostly made substitute appearances, and he has managed two goals this season. Last season, he became the first United player to score at U18, U19, U21 and senior level in the same season. 

Quick, skillful and generally deadly in front of goal, Wilson should have a bright future ahead of him.

Demetri Mitchell

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Seen in the picture above in action for England's U18s, Demetri Mitchell is described aptly by United's official website as "an exciting left-winger." 

Exciting left-wingers are something of a specialty of United's, given that Mitchell follows Best and Ryan Giggs in that position. 

As well as his skill and pace, he has a mean free-kick on him, as he demonstrated for England's youngsters back in September against the Netherlands.

Ben Pearson

Ben Pearson is the kind of midfielder that will bring to mind—for United fans of a certain vintage—past greats like Bryan Robson and Roy Keane.

Of course, he is nowhere near their level yet, but the young man, currently on loan at Barnsley, is stylistically similar to both men. He can pass and has good technical ability, but most notable are his leadership and tenacity. 

His manager at Barnsley, Lee Johnson, has described him as "the first name on the team-sheet," per The FA's official website. His loan success has been heartening to follow, as Pearson's all-action style will surely make him a fan-favourite should he ever break through to United's senior ranks. 

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Timothy Fosu-Mensah is a signing of the Louis van Gaal era, having been brought in from Ajax last summer. The young defender can play as a centre-back or left-back and has impressed followers of United's youth teams with his ability on the ball and his reading of the game.

He is both strong and quick, too, meaning he has all the tools needed to be a force in his position. Definitely a player whose development is worth keeping an eye on. 

Callum Gribbin

As Bleacher Report's Sean Fay wrote back in March, "remember the name." 

Callum Gribbin's skills have attracted plenty of attention, and it is easy to see why, when the club's official Twitter account is drawing attention to them. 

Yahoo Sport described him as "the 16 year-old who is the star player of Manchester United's current U18 squad," and they too urged readers to remember his name. 

Occasionally, Gribbin looks to overplay situations, taking more touches than is necessary, but given his prodigious skills, that is not surprising. It is a scenario that those who followed the early career of Cristiano Ronaldo will be well familiar with, and hopefully Gribbin will adapt his game as well as the Portuguese did. 

If he can, he may have a bright future ahead.