Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister believes Alejandro Garnacho, James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri could all break into Erik ten Hag’s side next season.
All three will feel like they are on the cusp of first-team football after impressing in the youth teams, but it will be down to Ten Hag to decide which players make the grade and pick the right games for them to make an impact.
Ten Hag will be hopeful of bringing in a number of new signings this summer, but with up to 11 players leaving due to expiring contracts, there will be chances for younger players to get minutes in the first-team.
James Garner is another player who returns from a successful season-long loan at Nottingham Forest. He will be joined by Dundee United Fans’ Player of the Year, Dylan Levitt, and we’re sure all of these lads will get a chance to impress the new manager on pre-season tour.
Some of these young lads have already made appearances in the first team but they are all waiting on a run of chances in the senior set up. That won’t happen for every one of them next season and some might need to be more patient.
Speaking about Alejandro Garnacho and other youth players who could make the grade next season, Pallister told the Metro: “He [Garnacho] is at the right age and he is now doing it at international level.
“He is certainly making a point for himself, you’ve also got James Garner back from his spell at Nottingham Forest, I’m sure he is the same boat. We’ve also got Hannibal Mejrbri, there are big expectations for him.
“You would like to think these guys can push themselves into the reckoning. One of the first things Sir Alex [Ferguson] said when he first arrived was ‘you are all going to get a chance, you are going to have to prove to me that you are worthy of a start or a place in the squad.
“These guys will buoyed by what they did last season. Garner playing a role in a promotion-winning side, Hannibal making his debut, Garnacho scoring the FA Youth Cup-winning goal now playing for Argentina. They are making progress and they are giving Ten Hag options. They will be knocking on that door.
“The squad needs hunger to be successful. You couldn’t say that about the team last season, there were so many abject performances when the heads went down and there was no real fight.
“You just wonder how it manifested itself after the season they had before when they finished second. There has got to be reasons for that and its down to Erik Ten Hag to find out why it happened.”
