Amorim must unleash "rapid" academy gem who could be Man Utd's new Carrick

Manchester United are a club that has always had a knack for bringing through and developing young players from their academy to improve their first-team.

Going back to the likes of Ryan Giggs, George Best, David Beckham, and Sir Bobby Charlton, among many others, the Red Devils have a rich history of cultivating world-class talent.

In more recent years, Carrington has birthed careers for Marcus Rashford, currently on loan at Aston Villa, Scott McTominay, at Napoli, Anthony Elanga, at Nottingham Forest, and current first-team stars Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

Ruben Amorim is currently tasked with bringing through the next class of talent through to the first-team at Old Trafford, and there are plenty of potential future stars for the club coming through.

Manchester United’s emerging talents

Senior debuts have been handed to Chido Obi-Martin and Ayden Heaven in recent weeks, both of whom joined the academy side from Arsenal.

Obi-Martin has made three first-team appearances for the Red Devils this year after a return of 12 goals in nine matches for the U18 side, following his exceptional haul of 32 goals in 21 games for the Gunners at U18 level during his time in London.

Heaven, meanwhile, came on for Leny Yoro at half-time against Arsenal on Sunday and impressed in the second half, with three out of five duels won, three clearances, a tackle, and an interception.

Another emerging talent who should be unleashed by Amorim in the weeks to come is 21-year-old central midfielder Toby Collyer, who could finally be unearthed as the club’s next version of Michael Carrick.

Why Man Utd must unleash Toby Collyer

Sports analyst and Man United fan Kirsty, on X, compared the Carrington talent to the former Red Devils and England midfielder, as well as comparing him to Darren Fletcher.

Back in January, she posted: “Collyer might just be that Carrick/Fletcher player we’ve been longing for. Nothing flashy, just engine, control, and routine.”

Carrick racked up 464 appearances in all competitions during his time with United as a player, earning a reputation for being a steady performer who could break up play and keep the game ticking over with his qualities in and out of possession.

Collyer has a long, long, way to go before he can be directly compared to the now-Middlesbrough manager, but he has shown a lot of very promising signs.

As you can see in the table above, the “rapid” academy graduate – as he was described by one United content creator – has yet to start a Premier League match. That said, he has impressed with his cameos off the bench, dominating players in physical battles whilst remaining composed on the ball.

Collyer, who was described as “aggressive” on and off the ball by Bruno Fernandes, has taken his chances when they have come his way off the bench, and now it is time for Amorim to finally unleash him from the start as he could emerge as the club’s next Carrick.

From the 2009/10 campaign onwards, the England international averaged 2.1 tackles per game and a pass completion rate of 87%. The current United youngster is on course for a similar output on and off the ball, despite being yet to start a match, which is a very positive sign.

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Amorim has just discovered Man Utd’s next big star & it’s not Heaven or Obi

Manchester United have a number of exceptional young players at their disposal.

The Red Devils can finally find their next tempo-controlling, yet defensively aggressive, star in the middle of the park in Collyer, and it is down to Amorim to hand him the chances to showcase his quality as a starter in the coming weeks and months.