Manchester United's U21's secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Sporting Lisbon's U21's in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday night. The team contained many future talents that have emerged from Carrington, United's academy, including Chido Obi, Tyler Fletcher and Tyler Fredricson.
The stakes of the game grew much higher after it was revealed that Michael Carrick, acting interim head coach, had made the journey to Leigh Sports Village, where United's academy and women's team plays, to watch the game. Notably, it's a trip Ruben Amorim didn't make in his entire United tenure.
United's academy games are, after all, primarily an opportunity to impress the first team staff and graduate to the first team. Each player knows how important it is to impress in games, especially with the United manager present.
United youngster James Scanlon scores hat-trick with Michael Carrick watching on
The stand-out performance of the night came from 19-year-old Gibraltar international James Scanlon, who netted all three of the goals for United U21's, including two fantastic goals from outside the box.
Scanlon is already an internationally capped player with Gibraltar, and has consistently been regarded among the best United players in his age group throughout his time with Manchester United. The player is still yet to make his senior debut.
It may not be long until he does. Michael Carrick's decision to change United's formation from 3-4-3, deploying wing-backs and attacking midfielders, to a 4-2-3-1 where wide wingers are needed, has caused problems with United's squad building.
After the sale of Alejandro Garnacho and the loaning of Marcus Rashford, United no longer have any traditional left-sided wingers. Patrick Dorgu has performed well in his games in that role, but he is naturally a wing-back. Matheus Cunha can fill in on the left, but it may not be the role he thrives in.
Whichever direction Carrick decides to take his team, depth will be required on the left-wing. James Scanlon is a fantastic option for United to have, and Carrick's attendance at the academy game is essentially a co-sign of the academy system. It can be inferred that Carrick has his eye on some academy lads to bring into the team, and Scanlon has made himself impossible to ignore.
There are issues with the transition, of course. Scanlon's most obvious characteristic is his output; he is consistently putting up goals and assists with the U21s. Output often doesn't immediately translate to first-team success, the jump between the two is too high.
Carrick and the team will be looking at the underlying talents of these academy boys, their physical attributes, their decision-making. Above all they will be examining their intangibles, their coping with pressure or critcism. The biggest jump between reserves and first team is mental, not physical. Playing for United is, above all, a mental burden, and not one every player is prepared for.
Scanlon might benefit from the lack of wingers in the first-team squad, and is more likely to get a call-up because of the first-team's issues. But Carrick must be careful not to throw him in the deep end unless absolutely necessary. Scanlon, though, is certainly making himself hard to ignore.