Manchester United are understandably excited by Jim Thwaites’ potential but a talent of his calibre must be managed carefully.
On Monday, Manchester United confirmed the travelling squad for the Ireland training camp, and academy midfielder Jim Thwaites made the cut.
Thwaites is on the brink of a first-team breakthrough, and being involved with the first team at this training camp gives the 18-year-old a golden opportunity to impress the coaching staff.
Interim head coach Michael Carrick has already watched Thwaites in action in the academy, but the Ireland training camp will be a chance to truly put him to the test.
Jim Thwaites looking to the side in Manchester United kit.
Photo by Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Man United don’t want to misprofile Jim Thwaites
Thwaites has risen up through United’s ranks playing in midfield, and Thwaites is a set-piece specialist.
But when it comes to what kind of midfielder Thwaites is going to grow into, United don’t want to apply pressure in any certain direction.
According to the Daily Mail, United staff are wary about pigeon-holing Thwaites as one specific type of midfielder.
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This season, Thwaites has spent minutes as a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder and as a more advanced playmaker. His technical ability is able to shine through in each of these positions, so it is now about refining his talent into a specific role.
Thwaites has been compared to Pedri because of the similarities in technical ability to the young Barcelona star.
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Manchester United academy star Jim Thwaites playing in the Under-18s.
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Why Jim Thwaites might not become a defensive midfielder
United staff are eager to let Thwaites’ progression and development happen naturally, rather than try to tunnel him into one role and risk misprofiling him.
The Red Devils have been accused of misprofiling midfielders in the past. For example, Scott McTominay was asked to play deeper as a No.6 but has thrived at Napoli playing in a more advanced position. The same can be said for Paul Pogba, who was often asked to play a more defensive role in a double pivot that never truly took advantage of his midfield abilities.
Thwaites has the world at his feet in terms of where he goes from here, but because of his physique, it seems a defensive role is less suited to his game.
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United need a long-term Casemiro replacement, and while Thwaites is a very promising talent, his smaller frame and physique means he is unlikely to be the Brazilian’s heir.
Instead, Thwaites can model his game more on the likes of Paul Scholes and Pedri – midfielders who thrive with the ball at their feet and can dictate the tempo of matches.
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