Scouting Impressive Manchester United Youngster Tahith Chong

Manchester United's under-18 side is bristling with talent at the moment, and former-Feyenoord winger Tahith Chong is one of those catching the eye.

Of course, when watching his side in action, he is impossible to miss thanks to his striking hairstyle, but it is his football that really makes him stand out.

Just before he signed, he gave an interview to FR12.nl (h/t the Mirror's Samuel Luckhurst), outlining his reasons for choosing to leave Feyenoord and head for Manchester:

"

I start in Manchester in the A1 [academy] and may sometimes take part in Manchester United Under-21s.

I’ve been there a few times and I am definitely impressed by the club. United have good accommodation for youth players and it is up to me to make that step. My parents will go to England and it’s good to have their support there.

We [he and Feyenoord] were talking about a contract. I would have liked to stay longer at Feyenoord because it's my club.

The discussions were very vague and I had expected more of it. Only after that conversation, I went to talk to Manchester United and I chose this

Many people call it I do it for the money, but I’m not a money grab. I choose the sporting adventure and for me it is now time to look forward.

"

With team-mates like Angel Gomes and DJ Buffonge, Chong's link-up with United has certainly been a football adventure so far. And for those who watch the youth team closely, his presence has been a standout in a very good team.

Nick Powell, who tweets about the Red Devils' youth setup @ManUnitedYouth said: "He's a left-winger who was highly sought-after, and he's been excellent. He's set up a lot of goals and chipped in with a couple himself. He's a bit of a throwback, a genuine out-and-out wide player, tons of skill, tons of pace, and he's really caught the eye."

On October 5, the Guardian selected Chong among "60 of the best young talents in world football." Bart Vlietstra wrote, "Explosive, technically gifted but also a great reader of the game, Chong greatly disappointed Feyenoord by joining Manchester United."

Guardian football editor Marcus Christenson tweeted, United "fans have every right to be excited," about the youngster. 

And they are. Doron Salomon, another keen observer of United's academy, said: "He is able to play as an old school, touchline-hugging winger, which seems a rarity. He has good close control and quite a deceptive burst of acceleration. I say deceptive because he's quite tall and skinny so you wouldn't necessarily expect it from him.

"His final ball looks excellent; he has put in some outstanding crosses. A colleague saw him for the first time a few weeks back at a game and said he oozed class in everything he did."

During pre-season, he was named Attacker of the Tournament in the Otten Cup—which also featured Barcelona. 

And now, at the age of just 16—having been born seven months after United won the treble—he has been made part of the Netherlands under-19 squad. It has been some rise, and it has been well deserved.

His on-pitch performances have shown real ability and maturity, particularly in terms of his off-the-ball movement.

Early in the game against Stoke City's under-18s, Chong stepped a few feet in from the touchline in his own half. When he received the ball, he immediately sprung into life with an Ander Herrera-esque half-turn, followed by a driving run further inside. By the time he reached the halfway line, he had left the Stoke midfielder for dust.

He laid off a delicate pass with the inside of his left foot and continued his run. It was not a spectacular moment, but there was a lot of football intelligence shown in his initial positioning and an ease and comfort on the ball shown in the run and pass.

He was at the heart of things when United made their breakthrough in that match. Once again, subtle, intelligent movement allowed him to pick up the ball in a pocket of space. His speed—a huge asset at under-18 level—compensated for a heavy first touch that saw the ball bounce towards the left-hand side of the box.

Chong exploded into action and used both his acceleration and some fine footwork to keep the ball away from the Stoke defender. He then drove into the box and delivered a cross to the far side of the area, around the edge of the six-yard line, which was duly dispatched.

Of course, he is not the finished article. Early in that game, a smart, explosive run saw him in a position to exploit a counter-attacking opportunity and create a one-versus-one against the Potters' defender. Unfortunately, when addressing the ball, Chong got his stride wrong and stepped over it. These are the kind of mistakes youth football is designed to iron out.

Stoke was a game in which United's youngsters clearly had the upper hand. Previous to that, though, they had taken on Manchester City in the mini-Manchester derby. City were good value for their 2-0 win, but Chong nonetheless managed to impress with a series of smart passes and potent runs.

Indeed, while both Salomon and Powell cite the youngster's throwback qualities as a winger, in truth, his movement is an impressive hybrid of almost old-fashioned approach to wide play and a more modern, all-around-forward style. Against Stoke, he popped up on the left, the right and through the middle, something he often does.

He may end a lot of games with metaphorical chalk on his boots, but it is metaphorical chalk from the penalty-box lines as much as it is the touchline.

But in spite of this, it is certainly fair to say that his crossing, trickery and speed make him a natural for a winger's berth. Given his age, concerns around what position he might end up playing for the first-team are a long way off.

With United's under-23s struggling, though, it will be interesting to see how quickly the current crop of very young, very impressive players like Gomes and Chong will move up to the next age group.

In an interview with fanzine United We Stand, former academy coach Paul McGuinness spoke of the careful management of Marcus Rashford's development. Part of the method employed was to mix playing him above his age group—at the level that his talent warranted—and playing him at the correct age level to give him confidence in his outstanding abilities.

It is easy to imagine a similar approach being used with Chong and Gomes. For now, though, they both form part of an under-18 side that is a great deal of fun to watch. The future is looking bright for United's youngsters.

Quotations obtained firsthand where not otherwise noted.