One of the more successful periods for Manchester United in recent seasons came under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Red Devils legend took charge of the club for 168 games over a period that spanned almost four years.
Initially taking over as caretaker manager, the Norwegian brought the feel-good factor back to Old Trafford and picked up some famous wins, including that famous away win at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
As permanent boss, the former United striker led the club to third, then second in the Premier League and the Europa League final, where they lost 11-10 on penalties to LaLiga side Villarreal.
If there was one thing Solskjaer did well during his time at the club, it was bringing through youngsters.
Academy stars who played under Solskjaer
There is no doubt that the scorer of the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final understands what it means to play for United. He continued the long tradition of bringing through academy players, giving 16 different youngsters a first-team debut.
Perhaps the most successful academy graduate under Solskjaer was Anthony Elanga. Now at Nottingham Forest, the youngster impressed under the Norwegian manager. He played three times under his tutelage, scoring once in that time, against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Another youngster that Solskjaer brought through was James Garner. The midfielder is also still playing in the top flight with Everton but made seven appearances under United’s former number 20. He was an important player in the 2019/20 Europa League group stage, playing four out of the six games.
Some of the other notable names that Solskjaer gave a debut to include creative midfielder Hannibal, now playing at Championship Burnley, and centre-back Teden Mengi, who plies his trade at second-tier side Luton Town.
He also gave a record-breaking debut to one United youngster, but things did not pan out as he might have expected at Old Trafford.
The record-breaking Man United youngster
When thinking of the great young players to debut for United, names such as Duncan Edwards or Norman Whiteside might spring to mind. More recently, Angel Gomes was a prominent young debutant. However, another player on the list is Shola Shoretire.
At the age of 17, Newcastle-born Shoretire played against the Magpies, to become the second-youngest player to make his Premier League debut for the Old Trafford club, as per Statman Dave. Gomes was the only player younger.
|
10 youngest players in Man Utd’s history |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Season of debut |
Age |
|
David Gaskell |
1956/57 |
16 years 19 days |
|
Jeff Whitefoot |
1949/50 |
16 years, 3 months, 15 days |
|
Duncan Edwards |
1952/53 |
16 years, 6 months, 4 days |
|
Angel Gomes |
2016/17 |
16 years, 8 months, 20 days |
|
Willie Anderson |
1963/64 |
16 years, 11 months, 4 days |
|
Norman Whiteside |
1981/82 |
16 years, 11 months, 17 days |
|
Shola Shoretire |
2020/21 |
17 years, 19 days |
|
Andy Ritchie |
1977/78 |
17 years, 28 days |
|
David McCreery |
1974/75 |
17 years, 1 month |
|
Alex Dawson |
1956/57 |
17 years, 2 months, 1 day |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
||
Just days later, he played in Europe for the first time, a 14-minute cameo against Real Sociedad in the Europa League. Not only was he hailed as an “enormous talent,” by journalist Rich Fay but manager Solskjaer said that the Red Devils youngster would go on to become “a very good player” for his boyhood club.
“He’s got some skills and attributes that we think are going to make a very good player here. It’s a platform, of course.”
However, that was not the case. Shoretire went on to play just three more times in that famous Red shirt, making five appearances in total, with his last game coming in the 2021/22 campaign.
After a loan spell at League One outfit Bolton Wanderers, the United academy graduate left the club upon the expiration of his contract last summer despite being valued just as highly as Amad in the dying stages of the season from a monetary point of view. He made the move to Greek side PAOK on a free transfer, although the Red Devils got a compensation fee of £500k.
He has since made 23 appearances for his new club across all competitions, scoring four times in that time, playing on both the left and right flank. In a full-circle moment, Shoretire made a six-minute appearance at Old Trafford with his new side in the Europa League this season.
It was sadly not to be for Shoretire at Old Trafford. The club’s second-youngest Premier League player only made a handful of appearances, not living up to Solskjaer’s words after his second game for the club.
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