Manchester United forgotten man could be surprise answer to Erik ten Hag's midfield problem

The cold Friday nights at Leigh Sports Village are often made worthwhile by Manchester United's academy talent.

There is no escape from the elements at the stadium that is situated around 10 miles away from Old Trafford, but sometimes there are individual performances so brilliant that they are enough to make you forget about the cold biting at your fingers.

United have a rich history of naturing academy talent and that tradition has survived decades when other aspects of the clubs have changed for the worse. There are hundreds of staff that work tirelessly at United and some are tasked with defining and shaping young players' futures every day. United's unrivalled record of producing players is a testament to their brilliant work.

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The U18s' FA Youth Cup triumph earlier this week was also proof of that. The club has been starved of success at first-team level over the last decade and the youngsters' excellent Youth Cup campaign was a much needed positive in a dark season.

The next step for those players is to have a career in the professional game. United have a stellar track record of offering opportunities to the talent that emerges from the club's academy but only a few can progress to the first team, naturally.

Ralf Rangnick handed Charlie Savage and Zidan Iqbal their debuts against BSC Young Boys in December and Shola Shoretire also made an appearance in that game. It was a memorable night for all three, but it wasn't the first taste of European football for the latter. Shoretire actually made his first-team debut back in February last year against Newcastle in the Premier League.

Shoretire then played against Real Sociedad in the