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Michael Owen: Manchester United Will Push On Youth Players Next Season
May 29, 2019
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has said the Red Devils will rebuild with youth next season, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer incorporating his best academy talents.
The Red Devils coach is set to refresh his squad during the summer, but Owen believes the Norwegian will bring in the club's burgeoning talents to supplement major purchases.
Speaking to the Press Association Sport, Owen said it will be difficult for Solskjaer to make wholesale changes in a single transfer window (h/t Dominic Booth of the Manchester Evening News).
"It's quite hard to get rid of more than three or four players in one window, particularly if you want something in return.
"I thought I had a better handle on United in that I believed they were a better team than they had shown under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho.
"And we saw that for a dozen games or so when Solskjaer came in but then there was a relapse.
[...]
"One thing I'm sure we'll see next year under Solskjaer is a big push on youth.
"I expect we'll see four or five of their talented youngsters step up from the academy and I think one or two of those could go on to be proper Manchester United players in the future."
United have a set of exceptional young players waiting in the wings, with Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood expected to make the transition into the first-team squad.
James Garner has similar qualities to Michael Carrick and could see himself make the breakthrough during pre-season.
Axel Tuanzebe was a huge success out on loan at Aston Villa, helping them win the EFL Championship play-off final, and the defender could be promoted to the starting XI at Old Trafford when he returns from the Midlands.
United's poor fitness was exposed during the final portion of the season, and after improving dramatically after Mourinho's departure in December, the players displayed multiple frailties.
Tuanzebe could provide United with an instant fix at centre-back, but Solskjaer will also have to recruit perfectly in the forthcoming weeks.
The Red Devils were as poor at the back as they were up front during the conclusion of the campaign, and the United boss must freshen up his options as he searches for answers.
Youth will be part of the equation, but United need a new set of leaders on the pitch to drive the club forward.