Manchester United’s U18 side have undergone a lot of change this summer, yet remain one of the nation’s best teams.
The loss of Adam Lawrence was expected to be huge for the academy side, with club icon Darren Fletcher stepping up in his place.
Jason Wilcox appointed Fletcher, with the former academy graduate looking to take his first steps in management having been a coach under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
The bigger task however, was that the Manchester United U18s lost most of the successful sides under Lawrence as they were simply too old for the level.
However, United have fast tracked elite talents to the U18s, such as 14-year-old JJ Gabriel and 15-year-old Kai Rooney.
As a result of this, and a couple of older players aged 17, United’s U18 side have been as good as ever this season. This form continued on Wednesday afternoon.
Samuel Lusale controls high pass for Manchester United U18s.
Photo by Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images
Samuel Lusale finally scores for Manchester United U18s
Wednesday marked the beginning of the U18 Premier League Cup for this season and it was the perfect start for Fletcher’s side who thrashed Brighton 4-0.
Among the goals was Amir Ibragimov for his third in three games and Bendito Mantato who has two in two. Both of the 17-year-old talents also added an assist each which will strengthen their arguments that they are beyond U18 football now.
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Godwill Kukonki also scored, while the fourth strike came from Samuel Lusale, who finally got his first U18 goal for United, one year into his tenure at the club.
Last summer, United beat Borussia Dortmund to Lusale’s signature, with the teenager choosing Carrington after he left Crystal Palace.
Lusale said he was incredibly blessed to be joining United although his first season wasn’t the the dream he would have had.
Immediately, Lusale was put into United’s U17s where he played the majority of his campaign with James Scanlon ahead of him on the left, but this season he finds himself among the more senior U18s.
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Lusale is seen as a top talent and when watching him it is hard not to be impressed by his direct running and crossing. The winger is traditional in that sense, but he is only scratching the surface of his ability.
The problem for Lusale which has contributed to him taking 12 months to bag his first U18 goal for the club is that he faces substantial competition which is never ending with the conveyor belt at Carrington producing promising talents frequently.
Lusale this season however has the chance to kick on and play a big part for the U18s with JJ Gabriel the other winger, as Bendito Mantato will likely step up at some point.
United’s stockpile of talented teenagers continues to catch the eye, with Fletcher blessed to have such versatile options. Now, Lusale needs to make himself undeniable.