Manchester United: Vidic Urgers Patience for Youngsters

Nemanja Vidic encouraged patience from Manchester United supporters and coaches for this season’s breakthrough debutants.

Numerous Manchester United starlets have made first team debuts under Louis van Gaal, but Nemanja Vidic has cautioned against rushing the youngsters.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marcus Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, and Guillermo Varela are the most notable of the young players to have made their first senior start this campaign. But there have been numerous others, with the retired Serbian international mainly commenting on the defensive players.

The full-back positions have been somewhat of rotating doors this season, with injuries and poor form in the senior team gifting reserves players opportunities. In truth, some of the young players have actually been brighter than their older counterparts, albeit in briefer spells with lesser expectations.

But this crop of defensive prospects looks to be incredibly bright. Speaking to MUTV, Vidic expressed his concern about their development:

"“I think it’s more difficult for defenders, especially when you have three or four of them playing together in the same match. For the young players who come in up front, you need that energy, imagination, happiness… you can let them play and be more free, but, in defence, I think you need someone who can lead these young boys.”“United have always brought youngsters into the team and of course they have ability, they have shown that in the games they’ve played but, when you want to win the trophies, you have to patient with them. You have to give them the right matches, develop them slowly so you can think about keeping them there for many years.”"

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The timing is interesting when considering that Van Gaal had made comments in Friday’s press conference about Fosu-Mensah’s preferable position. The manager pointed out that young players must fill in the holes in the first team, potentially sacrificing their own development for the benefit of the club.

Phil Jones’s career began in a similar manner with matches across the back four and in the holding midfield. Ultimately, in conjunction with several serious injuries, his versatility proved to be a hindrance as he never settled into one position where he could develop fully.