Manchester United’s FA Cup defence continues on Friday and it could be a chance for some academy stars to debut.
Ruben Amorim will hope to step into the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of Ruud van Nistelrooy on Friday night under the lights at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have not used home advantage well lately, but Amorim will be confident considering Leicester City are in free fall.
Due to this favourable tie, Amorim could be tempted to rest some players who have been overplayed lately – with the academy potentially stepping up to the bill.
United’s U18 and U21 sides have a number of players knocking on Amorim’s door right now for a debut. But it is a somewhat surprising name who has revealed his inclusion in United’s first-team training.
On Wednesday, United U18 left-back Dante Plunkett has been catching the eye with his performances for Adam Lawrence’s side this season.
The full-back has shown exciting attacking ability, scoring twice and assisting twice for United’s U18s in all competitions.
Plunkett joined United from Aston Villa last summer and was billed as a very exciting talent, now Amorim has been having a closer look.
The 17-year-old revealed this on his Instagram story on Wednesday evening. Plunkett posted an image of his feet in football boots, with the caption reading: “first team”, with a tick emoji.
This is very exciting, with the 17-year-old potentially being viewed by Amorim as a future left-wing-back option to provide depth now that Tyrell Malacia has departed to PSV.
Plunkett is in his debut season for United and has caught the eye already which bodes well for his future at the club, with Amorim planning to trust the academy.
Will Ruben Amorim hand out academy debuts vs Leicester City
Ahead of United’s FA Cup clash with Leicester, there is some excitement over the possibility of academy players getting a chance.
Amorim could hand out debuts at Old Trafford in a bid to give rest to senior players – with a number of academy players ready to contribute.
Plunkett would be a welcome surprise to see involved with Patrick Dorgu likely to play and we would also have thought Harry Amass was more likely to debut before the former Villa man.
Amorim gave out 27 debuts to Sporting Lisbon academy players which is certainly a good sign for the hopefuls who are targeting their debut for United.
With Leicester quite a weak opponent, we would be disappointed to not see at least one or two involved. Hopefully, this will happen on Friday night.
Related Topics