Sir Alex Ferguson believes the rise of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho embodies the core spirit of Manchester United.
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Ferguson lauds Man Utd's young starsMainoo & Garnacho represent key valueCourageous enough to be first-team playersWHAT HAPPENED?
Speaking at a golf event, Ferguson was asked by TikToker Jamal Niaz about the impact of Mainoo, 19, and Garnacho, 20, in recent months. The legendary former manager pointed to one of the most ingrained Manchester United values.
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Having become increasingly involved in the United first-team in 2022-23, Garnacho made 50 appearances across all competitions last season and scored 10 goals. He was also part of Argentina's Copa America-winning squad this summer. Mainoo followed suit, becoming an undroppable starter eight months ago, scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final and making himself indispensable for England at Euro 2024. Both were FA Youth Cup winners as recently as 2022, a competition that has been held in high esteem at Old Trafford since its 1952 inception.
WHAT SIR ALEX FERGUSON SAID
"It's the foundation isn’t it?" Ferguson said. "It's the heart and soul of what Manchester United has been since the days of Sir Matt Busby, who started the whole process of trusting young players playing. They're young. What they’re showing at the moment, the composure and confidence to play in the first-team, and not be daunted by it. In a way, it shows you the kind of courage they have."
@jnmediauk
Brilliant time interviewing Sir Alex Ferguson for the fifth time at his annual Golf Classic and he gave me his thoughts on the rise of Mainoo & Garnacho at Manchester United and the fearlessness in which they play with 🔥 Look out for the full interview on Morson and JNMEDIAUK’s socials 🎤 JNMEDIA is proudly sponsored by Morson Group: Morson is a community of expert recruiters, matching talented candidates with purposeful organisations and game changing projects across the STEM landscape. This isn’t ‘bums on seats’, transactional recruitment. We support corporate strategies through impactful hiring and workforce solutions. We nurture careers, from first hire to retire and everything in between. We invest, paving the way for the next generation of STEM talent. Come for the job, stay for the career. Find your next role at www.morson.com #SirAlexFerguson #ManchesterUnited #MUFC #Football #PremierLeague #Euros #WorldCup #Mainoo #Garnacho #ManUnited #Footballfans #Soccer #Fifa #England #Ronaldo #Messi #foryou #foryoupage #fyp #reel #reels #footballtiktok #footballedit #footballtogether
♬ original sound – Jamal Niaz
DID YOU KNOW?
Manchester United founded a youth team back in 1938 amid an ambition to create side composed entirely of local players. And while times have changed drastically, the club has continued to include at least one home-grown player from the academy for every single first-team game in the 80-plus years since. The idea of utilising young talent became an unshakeable philosophy under Busby from the late 1940s onwards and was revived in spectacular fashion by Ferguson in the late 1980s. Ethan Wheatley became the 250th academy graduate to debut for the senior side when he came off the bench in a Premier League game against Sheffield United in April.