Manchester United of England are bound to retain a strong Nigerian presence throughout the New Year, as the duo of Shola Shoretire and Anthony Elanga are knocking frantically on the door of The Red Devils’ senior team, while Folarin Balogun, Ryan Alebiosu and Miguel Azeez are doing same at their English Premier League rivals, Arsenal.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, while Balogun is leading the way for the next generation of Nigerian-born lads and the overall class of youth team products at Emirates Stadium, the big deal out of Old Trafford is Shoretire, who has been cited as the lad to keep focus from West Africa on Man U after the exit of Odion Jude Ighalo.
This is sequel to reports emanating from Queensland that United’s coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is thinking of a permanent spot in the main team for Shoretire, after temporarily elevating him and three other youngsters to the main quad for the busy festive fixtures.
Solskjaer gave Shoretire and the other three lads opportunities in senior team training ahead of the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers; which also gave part of the spotlight to Elanga, who has featured in every game of the under-23 squad so far this season, during which the Sweden youth international, who can play on both wings or up front, has four goals to his name.
However, the biggest point of excitement swirled round Shoretire, who became the youngest player ever to appear in the UEFA Youth Cup at 14, and has gone from strength to strength since then; with his latest impact coming when Solskjaer gave him another look in ahead of the clash with Wolves at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Indeed, Shoretire looked quite lively in training with United’s first team players at Carrington but, while the 16-year-old lad is eligible for EPL matches, because he is a scholar, he is expected to sign his first professional contract before he can begin to enjoy regular senior action with the club – but that is expected to happen only before the end of spring.
Nonetheless, Shoretire showed no complexes when he rubbed shoulders with the experienced trio of Ighalo, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani, which Solskjaer reckoned should aid and boost the youngster’s all-round development – physically, technically, tactically, mentally and psychologically.
It is another leap forward for Shoretire, who has been permanently promoted to United’s under-23 side, though still qualified for the U18s, and, having achieved 11 starts in all competitions this season, the prospects coming his way in 2021 look very bright already for the latest Red Devils’ whiz-kid, who has scored two goals and provided two assists for his team.
Similarly, Balogun, Azeez and Alebiosu also had a strong feel of first team training at Arsenal in the last week of 2020, as The Gunners’ coach, Mikel Arteta called them up for preparations towards the EPL game away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Balogun, Alebiosu and Azeez were part of the final workout at London Colney on Monday afternoon and, while all three youngsters are not officially registered in Arsenal’s 22-player roster for the EPL his season, they are eligible to be fielded in the competition because they are all classified as U21 scholars.
While Balogun, who joined Arsenal at the age of eight, has been in the news recently on the back of his fine performances in the UEFA Europa League and his prolonged contract situation at Emirates Stadium, Alebiosu has been at the club since the age of seven and Azeez first trained with The Gunners’ kids when he was five years old.
Azeez is a central midfielder, who also debuted for the London-based side in the Europa League, when he got off the bench for the last seven minutes against Dundalk of Ireland, after previously making the bench for earlier group games versus Molde and Rapid Vienna.
The last of the lot, Alebiosu, is a right back and already rated as a key player for Arsenal’s under-23 squad, but while he is yet to make his competitive debut for The Gunners’ first team, he also enters 2021 on a high, following his involvement with the main squad before they battled away to Brighton during the last week of 2020.
