Van Gaal led the way with youth: Mourinho must continue with this

Martial: Proved doubters wrong

The months of speculation is finally over. Van Gaal has departed the club, making way for the enigmatic Mourinho. Much of the Old Trafford faithful will be happy to see the back of Van Gaal. His style of football left a lot to be desired, and he ultimately could not lead the club to success.

However, perhaps it is time to assess his overall legacy. Whilst there is plenty to complain about, we can at least say that Van Gaal was a man who valued youth. The team he assembled was full of potential stars of the future. Indeed, he laid down the foundation of what could be a strong unit in the years ahead.

The Dutchman’s focus on young players became apparent at the beginning of the season. He shelled out £38.5m for the nineteen-year-old Martial, making him the most expensive teenager in football. This was no impulse buy. Van Gaal himself admitted that Martial was a signing for the future, a player who would not reach his peak until after Van Gaal’s time at the club. In essence, Martial is Van Gaal’s gift to Mourinho.

On top of this, Van Gaal vigorously promoted promising players from the academy. Jesse Lingard has been given ample playing time throughout the season, and showed his worth when he scored the FA Cup winner against Crystal Palace. Young Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has been given an opportunity to blood into the team.

Rashford will be on England's plane to France

And let’s not forget about Marcus Rashford. The eighteen-year-old was propelled into the first team in February. After impressing in his first couple of appearances, he was allowed to claim a starting place upfront. He has since come on leaps and bounds, and even forced himself into contention for England’s plans in Euro 2016.

This emphasis on youth goes against all the currents of modern football. All too often, managers and owners chase instant results and rely on readymade signings to achieve it. This has led to a vastly decreasing amount of appearances for young players. It is telling that Van Gaal is responsible for 23% of all minutes played by youngsters in the Premier League this season. 

This is commendable and fits in well with a fundamental part of the fabric of Manchester United. All the great teams at Old Trafford have been based on youth and homegrown stars, such as the Busby Babes who were almost all born a stone’s throw away from the ground, or the Class of 92.

It is concerning, then, that incoming manager Mourinho represents the antithesis of this. His sides have been built around older pros, men who have already proved themselves in the game. He rarely gives the opportunity to promising young players within his ranks.

This approach is dangerous and smacks of short-termism. One only needs to look at the examples of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne. Both were part of Chelsea’s academy set up. However, they were either consigned to languish on the bench, or banished away on loan. Frustration forced both to move on, and they are now amongst the finest players in the league. This is no doubt to the great regret of Chelsea, who will now have to invest heavily again to update their ageing squad.

We must hope that Mourinho learns his lesson. He must continue to play the likes of Rashford, and pay attention to the kids in the academy. Otherwise, the one positive hallmark of Van Gaal’s reign will be extinguished.


This is a guest post by Sathesh Alagappan.

You can continue the discussion here by commenting below. 

Or via his Twitter handle @sathesh1992

This is a guest post by Sathesh Alagappan.

You can continue the discussion here by commenting below. 

Or via his Twitter handle @sathesh1992

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