Manchester United’s under-21 side were victorious on Tuesday night against Sporting CP in the Premier League International Cup. All while Michael Carrick watched from the stands.
At the Leigh Sports Village, the executive box was a busy place on Tuesday night as Manchester United beat Sporting 3-2, as Michael Carrick attended his first academy game since taking charge of the first team.
Carrick was joined by his assistant coach Steve Holland, Travis Binnion, Jason Wilcox, and Stephen Torpey, so if there was a game to impress in, this was the one to do it in.
Jayce Fitzgerald had an excellent game in midfield, surely catching the eye of the United legend turned club head coach.
However, it was another player who sent a clear message to Carrick that he deserves a chance.
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James Scanlon scores a hat-trick in front of Michael Carrick
Seeing the first team head coach watching academy games is a brilliant sight, with Carrick making the trip to Leigh, something his predecessor Ruben Amorim, never did, only attending one game at Carrington.
James Scanlon will have been aware of this, and he grabbed the chance to impress with both hands.
James Scanlon dribbling in black Manchester United kit.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Scanlon scored all three goals in the 3-2 win, with his first two being absolutely brilliant strikes from the edge of the box, finding the corner on each occasion.
His two became three later in the game, as he got on the end of a Chido Obi overhead kick to sneak home what ended up being the winner.
Scanlon could have had a fourth, but his three will have been enough to send a pretty big statement to the first team staff as he continues to bang on the door of the senior side.
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James Scanlon
Photo by Zohaib Alam – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Manchester United could have a possible left-wing solution in Scanlon
While the prospect of any move looks unlikely right now, United are thought to be considering a left-wing addition, having found a lopsided attack as Amorim was allowed to get rid of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
Well, this addition would not be a star name this month, more likely being an underwhelming loan of some kind.
However, with this performance, Scanlon might have thrown his name into the ring as a possible option.
Carrick will have been impressed, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see Scanlon involved in first team training over the next few weeks, unless he is actually set to head on loan for first team experiences.
Either way, Scanlon will have earned admirers.
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