Amorim can forget Dalot by unleashing Man Utd’s 17-year-old star

There’s not a lot to be positive about at Manchester United at present, yet – as ever – the academy ranks certainly provide reason for optimism, with it looking as if the Red Devils still boast a blossoming youth set-up, even amid all the chaos at first-team level.

Following the success of last season’s FA Cup final heroes, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, the current campaign has already seen Toby Collyer force his way into Ruben amorim‘s reckoning, while Chido Obi – who United plucked from Arsenal over the summer – is the latest teenage sensation catching the eye.

While the 17-year-old striker is, quite frustratingly, ineligible to feature in the Europa League this season, the hope will be that he can earn regular Premier League minutes in the coming months, having come close to getting off the mark at Old Trafford against Fulham last time out.

Meanwhile, aside from the introduction of Obi – and 18-year-old January signing Ayden Heaven – there is also much to celebrate at Carrington due to the club’s FA Youth Cup run, with the U18 side seeing off the Gunners at the quarter-final stage on Friday evening.

That 3-2 win at the Emirates has showcased the wealth of talent that could be next up on the conveyor belt, with now perhaps the time to promote from within once again.

Man Utd’s FA Youth Cup heroes

Back in May 2022, over 60,000 fans filed into Old Trafford to witness a young United side see off Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup final, with a teenage Garnacho stealing the show with a brilliant brace to seal a 3-1 win. A star was born.

Just under three years on, the U18s moved a step closer to reaching another showpiece after narrowly defeating Arsenal on their own patch, despite having been without main man Obi.

The Danish youth international had scored seven goals in just three Youth Cup outings, yet with first-team hopes taking priority, the prolific marksman was left out for the trip to north London.

To their credit, the young Devils powered to victory regardless, with Jack Fletcher – son of Darren Fletcher – firing home a delightful curling effort to open the scoring, before Jayden Kamason thundered in to draw the visitors back level at 2-2, after goals from Louis Copley and the lively Max Dowman either side of the break.

With the game entering extra-time, it was United who clinched progression courtesy of 17-year-old Bendito Mantato, with the substitute tapping home after fine work from Samuel Lusale down the flanks.

Mantato – who was making his first appearance in the competition this season – was the headline maker, having perhaps taken a further step toward securing a regular first-team role.

Bendito Mantato’s first-team hopes

If there is one area in desperate need of reinforcement for Amorim – aside from the centre-forward berths – it is at wing-back, with Sunday’s defeat seeing the Portuguese forced to deploy Diogo Dalot at left wing-back once again, in the absence of the suspended Patrick Dorgu.

While Dalot did supply the assist for Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser in the second half, it was another frustrating outing for the Portuguese defender, as he notably lost the ball on 25 occasionshaving also attempted just a solitary dribble.

The former Porto man can point to the fact that he is not playing on his favoured side, yet whether he fits the brief as an attacking wing-back option in Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up remains to be seen, having actually only provided seven goals and 13 assists in 198 games for the club in total. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, for context, was not far behind with two goals and 13 assists in 190 games for United.

With that in mind, looking to the academy to find a long-term replacement for Dalot could be a wise solution, with Friday’s hero, Mantato, a prime candidate for that role.

The teen “wonderkid”, as hailed by U23 scout Antonio Mangohas typically operated in a right-wing berth at youth level, yet he can also be deployed at full-back, making him a perfect fit on the flanks for Amorim.

A versatile left-footer – much in a similar mould to the aforementioned Dorgu – Mantato has scored seven goals in just 12 games this season, ash per transfer marketwith data analyst Ben Mattinson earmarking him as a perfect internal solution for Amorim at wing-back.

As Mattinson has noted, the Bukayo Saka-esque sensation is “an explosive ball carrier who drives at defenders in 1v1’s”, thus ensuring he can replicate what Dorgu has already offered to United in his early showings since signing from Lecce.

Also Likened to Geovany Quenda by Mattinson – a player who Amorim is believed to be looking to pluck from Sporting CP this summer – it certainly bodes well for the impact that Mantato can make in Amorim’s system.

Acting either as a rival for Dorgu, or as a colleague on the opposite flank, the academy starlet may well be just what the United head coach is in need of, particularly with the likes of Dalot continuing to toil.

Of course, the Portuguese tactician will no doubt be keen to dip into the market to acquire the likes of Quenda, yet having witnessed the rise of Mainoo, Garnacho, Collyer and Obi – to name just a few – in recent times, looking to the youth ranks once again would certainly be fruitful for this cash-strapped side.