Alejandro Garnacho, Charlie McNeill and academy members bring out the best of Manchester United in FA Youth Cup

It has been a while since they played 'Glory, Glory Man United' at Old Trafford but the youngsters deserved it. The Manchester United academy is well run, with an impressive recruitment hit-rate, still producing first-team players and now 90 minutes away from silverware. In these lean years for the first-team, the academy has been the standout feature at the club.

Charlie McNeill and Alejandro Garnacho, recruited from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively in 2020, played with an exuberance reminiscent of Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison in 2011. Extraordinarily, United haven't reached an FA Youth Cup final since that standout class.

McNeill and Garnacho celebrated the latter's goal bromantically. McNeill endured the disappointment of elimination to Liverpool last year when Garnacho was omitted from the squad. United youngsters have made a habit of channelling negatives into positives.

READ MORE: Badge-kissing and Liverpool baiting - introducing Charlie McNeill

They were practically strangers when Garnacho botched a two-on-one by carelessly overhitting a square pass at 2-0. With the game not won, McNeill gave his teammate the silent treatment and flashed a disapproving glare. McNeill pounced for a second to make it five goals in as many games in the Youth Cup.

Gorton-born McNeill used to be in the United academy before he moved to City in 2014, when the Blues offered to put his siblings in St Bede's College. He crossed the divide again 18 months ago for an initial fee of £750,000 that could rise to £1.5million. McNeill rejected the offer of a new contract at City and United coaches felt at the time the final fee would represent a 'bargain'. He has 29 goals in 28 Under-18 matches.

The attention on Garnacho,