Photo by Zohaib Alam/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Zohaib Alam/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United’s youngsters are also in the UEFA Youth League, and Michael Carrick saw JJ Gabriel score a hat-trick to kick it off.
The youngsters are finally getting the experience missed by the last two seasons of intakes in the academy after Man Utd qualified for the Champions League.
Every game played by the senior team will be mirrored by the academy teams in the UEFA Youth League, and it started with a clash against Sabah U19s.
The 5-0 win was comfortable, courtesy of JJ Gabriel‘s hat-trick, but Bendito Mantato’s profile must have stood out for Michael Carrick.
Manchester United U21 v Chelsea U21: Premier League 2
Photo by Poppy Townson – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Bendito Mantato plays polar opposite roles for Man Utd U19s
Mantato has always been a curious player at Carrington, and he’s one of the few who caught even Ruben Amorim’s eye.
A major reason why is his unique profile where you can’t pin down what his best position is, because he is just too technical and versatile.
He recently returned from injury and his first game back was at left-back, where he shone with his overlapping skills.
In the very next game, this one against Sabah in the Youth League, Mantato went across from one end of the pitch to the polar opposite.
He started as a right-winger, needing multiple switches in style of play.
From defending his box, he had to think about tracking back, and instead of overlapping, he had to cut inside.
Remarkably, he did both of those things to a high level, twisting and turning the Sabah left-back with his dribbling and positioning.
He did end the game with cramps as the athletic output took its toll on him, so Man Utd fans will hope it’s nothing serious.
It hammered home the point that academy watchers have known for a while, which is that it is impossible to deny him more first-team minutes.
Mantato is the perfect modern player
In an era where physicality reigns supreme and tactical flexibility is the name of the game, having a player like Mantato is worth its weight in gold.
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At just 17, Mantato has played the following positions for the academy – left-back, left-wing, right-wing, No. 10, and wing-back on both sides.
There is an argument to be made that settling on one position will also be beneficial for him, but he hasn’t let his levels drop regardless of the position.
That speaks of a supremely talented player who is a jack of all trades, and a master of them, too.
Any manager would love to have that profile in their squad because players like him simply don’t come around often.
Forget about the opposition in this game, or the comfortable win, the bigger point is that Mantato can simply go from LB to RW and look natural in both!