Manchester United academy star sends Ruben Amorim message after missing out vs Tottenham

Even through their darkest hours, Manchester United have always been able to find a shining light. More often than not that light has come from their academy.

Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson and even Erik ten Hag all leant on the academy as they looked to rebuild United - it's fair to say some were a lot more successful than others.

Ruben Amorim will be hoping the club's academy can once again offer a glimmer of hope in what has been a wretched season so far. He has a talented bunch to choose from.

Despite the young Reds falling short at a bitterly cold Leigh Sports Village on Monday night, there are plenty of reasons for fans to harbour hopes that there are brighter times ahead. It's a side to the game nobody really wants to acknowledge but at a time when profit and sustainability rules are the words on fans' lips, United need help from their academy to get them out of the mess they find themselves in.

In the Under-21s' 1-0 defeat to Fulham on Monday, James Scanlon proved to be the biggest threat as the confident 18-year-old demanded the ball off his teammates throughout the first half, not afraid to tussle one vs one with the Fulham defenders while enjoying a good relationship with Sam Murray down the left-hand side.

The duo linked up well on a number of occasions, with Murray showing his energy as he constantly provided Scanlon with an option going forward, though they struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities against a stern Fulham defence who have suffered defeat just twice in the league this season.

Scanlon continued to probe, even showing his versatility when playing more centrally in the second half after the introductions of Gabriele Biancheri and Jaydan Kamason.

Scanlon has been tipped for a