The ’92 class is known all over the world. It’s probably one of the best crops of academy talent we’ve ever seen, not just Manchester United, but also in British football.
The six footballers, named after David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Shoals, all quickly became popular names, graduating at the same time, and became United legends in the process.
Carrington is not as successful now, but has produced many common names in recent years, ranging from Marcus Rashford to Kobbie Mainoo.
Tradition is at the heart of the academy and since 1937 it has proven to be a huge success that the Red Devils have someone from the academy on every team during their first team match.
But who is the next talent who wants to maintain that 88-year record with the midfielder still remaining in the air?
Currently the greatest young talent at Manchester United
The ’92 class may have been more than 30 years ago now, but United Academy has enjoyed a great start to the campaign and shows no signs of slowing down.
In fact, in the Top Age Group, the Red Devils sit second in the U18 Premier League, leveling their points against first-place Manchester City.
As for the U23s, they sit at the top of the 18-point Premier League 2 table, two ahead in Ipswich Town.
They have a lot of players to thank all the good performances they’ve done so far, like Chido Obimartin, Jack Fletcher, Cia Lacy and more.
Lacey, who was previously compared to Phil Foden, already has two goals in four appearances, but midfielder Jack Fletcher, who could be considered a future replacement for Bruno Fernandez, found the net on two occasions.
Naturally, their top scorer at the moment is Chido Obi, who has three bags on six league outings to start the season.
At the U18 level, I have seen many top drawer performances. Wayne’s son Kai Rooney scored once in two matches, and is undoubtedly one of the biggest stories of the campaign so far.
Speaking of Rooney, 17-year-old winger Amir Ibragimov has three goals on five outings, and has been compared to Watza for his biting and tenacity.
But we’ve got this far, but we haven’t spoken about United’s most exciting talent yet.
Carrington’s star could rival Yamal in the future
In the previous period, all of the hype surrounded Chido Obi. He arrived from Arsenal from behind a ridiculous season in front of goal, scoring 32 times in 24 games at the Under-18 level. For the U16, he scored 10 goals in one game, beating Liverpool 14-3.
But the younger Dane may have a rival for the first team minutes in the coming years for the 15-year-old named JJ Gabriel.
Gabriel turned 15 on Monday, but has created a storm at the youth level this season after scoring seven goals in six Under-18 Premier League games.
A centre-forward who can play on the wings, he is described as the “Kid Messi” for his stunning dribbling abilities. That attribute is undoubtedly his greatest strength.
But so far, as the numbers show for 2025/26, he is pretty good even in front of goal.
Scoring at the knot speed at the youth level is likely to attract attention all the time, but the fact in question is that Gabriel has been garnering hype for more than a few weeks.
Last week he was praised by Stephen Railston of Manchester Evening News as “one of the most exciting talents in the world.” The same publication outlines that some at the academy level “believes that he can become the best talent he’s ever seen.”
Considering Beckham, Neville, Giggs and more, it’s a rather bold statement considering they’ve gone through all the youth setups in Manchester.
But the fact that he is already supported by football director Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Barrada speaks volume.
The top European clubs are said to have undergone high-level consultations to sign teenagers this summer, but the 11th hour meeting, attended by both Wilcox and Barrada, managed to convince Gabriel to stay. How did they do that? Well, I assure him that he can be the face of the club.
Youngest player in PL history | |
|---|---|
player | year |
1. Angel Gomez | 16 years, 8 months, 20 days |
2. Shawl tea | 17, 19th |
3. Courtship | 17 years, 2 months, 18 days |
4. Mason Greenwood | 17 years, 5 months, 7 days |
5. Federico Maceda | 17 years, 7 months, 14 days |
6. Alejandro Garnacho | 17 years, 9 months, 28 days |
7. Nikki Batt | 17 years, 10 months, 1 day |
8. KobbieMainoo | 17 years, 10 months, 1 day |
9. James Garner | 17 years, 11 months, 14 days |
10. Danny Welbeck | 17 years, 11 months, 20 days |
At just 15 years old, the fact that the young man is the best player in the U18 says a lot. This is similar to Arsenal’s Max Dowman, who appeared in the same age group last season.
He’s only 15 years old and has already won the Gunners Premier League debut in the opening weeks of his new campaign. For Gabriel, you would imagine the first team bow not too far.
While we need to be aware of how much hype it is attached to young soccer players, we hope that Carrington is developing its own Raminyarmal here.
Like Douman, the Spaniard was 15 years old when he made his debut in Barcelona. He only turned 18 in the summer, but is already recognized as the second best player in the world, finishing second to Osmane Dembele in Barondo Gala last month.
I’m not saying Gabriel will definitely be there in a few years, but many people talk about the great potential this boy has. He stars as a 15-year-old at U18 level. He is clearly miles above his age group. This is certainly a player that will excite supporters.
