Manchester United risk losing their own Martin Odegaard

There is a fine art to nurturing the best young players in world football. Manchester United know that better than most.

Just this week, Omari Forson became the 249th graduate from the club's illustrious academy to make their senior debut. All eyes are already on who the next one will be.

Erik ten Hag has taken on a more hands-on approach with the academy since he joined the club, having felt the U21s were 'isolated' before his arrival and he now takes an active role in deciding which youngsters train with the first team.

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He insisted on 'cooperation between all the different departments', as he had at Ajax and has set the challenge for at least one youth team player to become part of the first team during every season he's at the club. Alejandro Garnacho was first and Kobbie Mainoo was second. It remains to be seen who the third could be.

Isak Hansen-Aarøen still hopes it will be him, though he will want some better assurances from United if that is going to be the case. The 19-year-old is frustrated by the lack of opportunities he has had and is reluctantly considering his future at the club.

He is a boyhood United fan and would love nothing more than to make things work at United, but despite catching the eye of Ten Hag, those opportunities have yet to materialise.

Hansen-Aarøen has trained with the first team in recent weeks and was singled out for praise when he shone in pre-season last summer, but yet he was overlooked when a youthful squad faced Wigan on Monday night. Eight of the nine substitutes were products of the club's famed academy. He remains highly