Manchester United vs Manchester City: 5 youngsters to look out for in the Manchester Derby
Manchester United host their local rivals Manchester City in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, with both teams eying their first silverware of the season.
It will be exactly one month since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer outsmarted Pep Guardiola to get a convincing win for his side in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium. The Red Devils would hope for a similar result on Tuesday night while Guardiola must have a solid game plan ready following last month’s derby defeat.
Guardiola has looked to field a youthful side in this season’s Carabao Cup so far, while Solskjaer has had to rely on a lot of his youngsters in the 2019-20 campaign given the injury-laden status of his squad.
In a way, both managers are expected to use their rich and highly talented pool of younger players. A semi-final of a cup competition pushes everyone to lift their standards and these are the games where a young player often ends up making a huge impression and even cement a place in the starting eleven.
Look what Mason Greenwood has been able to do this season for Manchester United. Despite being only 18-years-old, he has been the biggest game-changer for his team this season.
Today we are looking at the 5 youngsters you should look out for as Manchester City take on Manchester United in the first leg of this year’s Carabao Cup semi-final.
#5. Angel Gomes (Manchester United)
Manchester United’s academy is blessed with several youngsters who are expected to go on and achieve greater things, one of those is Angel Gomes. However, Gomes may not stay at Old Trafford beyond this season.
The 19-year-old playmaker has found it tough to break into Solskajer’s team this season and is seeking a move away from Man United. His low centre of gravity makes him very difficult to mark and Gomes is very good at turning away from defenders and leaving them for dead.
Man United are struggling to find a creative #10 in their team with Paul Pogba out injured and Juan Mata lacking pace and intensive pressing. With the Carabao Cup semi-final on the horizon, it is expected that Gomes may get one final chance to prove his worth to Solskjaer with a strong display against Manchester City.
The 19-year-old is good enough to be the game-changer or even a match-winner for Manchester United but only time will tell if he can do that.