Manchester United: 3 key takeaways from the 2021/22 pre-season
![MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 3-0 during the Pre Season Friendly fixture between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on August 7, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 3-0 during the Pre Season Friendly fixture between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on August 7, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/638ab54eca908bd3d414adeff7c29c6c9006e16e16696c30fe9cb242ab56a62d.jpg)
Youngsters have been pretty impressive
After Manchester United made a deep run into every many tournaments last season and this summer’s EURO 2020, the team began their pre-season without several of the senior players.
The unavailability of the senior players came up as a massive boost for some of the club’s youngsters, who got to showcase their abilities in pre-season. And as anticipated, some youth prospects received valuable experience during the course of this pre-season and featured multiple times.
When it comes to youngsters who have impressed with their individual performances throughout the course of the pre-season, the name of Anthony Elanga should be at the top of the list. Playing three out of the four games, the Swedish wonderkid scored two goals, and the 19-year-old’s performances were brilliant. It is not hard to see why the youngster is so highly rated and many believe that he can be a first-team star in the future for Manchester United.
On the other hand, Hannibal Mejbri, Ethan Galbraith, Dylan Levitt, James Garner and Shola Shoretire, all played their part in the pre-season campaign and must have given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a glimpse of what they have to offer to the first-team. And considering how impressive they were, it will be interesting to see if they end up featuring more often for the Red Devils’ first-team this season.
Of course, some of them could head out on loan as well, considering the incredible depth of Manchester United’s squad. But overall, this must have been a very positive experience for these youngsters, helped them grow and could help them in the long run.