Whilst things might not be going great on the pitch at the moment, the only thing that Manchester United can be proud of is the academy. For years, the club have been producing players which have gone on to have successful careers in the game, even if it’s not at United itself.

However, there are a number of players in the academy at the moment which have the potential to make it to the first team squad and become part of a team which could be the favourites on the Betfair Champions League odds market In the near future.

Here’s 3 players from the academy to watch out for who potentially have what it takes to make it large on the big stage for the biggest club in the world.

Angel Gomes

Attacking midfielder Angel Gomes made history at the end of the 2016/17 season as he became the youngest player to represent Manchester United since 1953, and was the first player born in the 2000s to appear in the Premier League.

Although Gomes has made brief appearances in the first team, the midfielder has been making his name in the youth teams with a number of impressive performances. Despite only being 18 years old, Gomes has made the step up to Reserve/Under 23 football in the past year, and adapted reasonable well by recording 5 goals and 2 assists in 12 games this season.

His lack of physicality and height means that it is unlikely the youngster will be near the first team any time soon, but hopefully that will change as he continues to develop.

Mason Greenwood

Another player which has been impressing in the youth teams in the academy is Mason Greenwood. The striker has been a well-kept secret by the club in past year, but his performances since last season has meant that it is becoming increasingly difficult.

The 2017/18 season saw Greenwood debut for the Under-18 team and slowly evolve from an attacking midfielder into an out-and-out striker. His 16 goals led the team to the top of their division, but they were unable to secure the trophy.

This season has seen Greenwood continue his impressive goalscoring form as he scored 11 goals in 8 games for the Under 18 before being promoted to the Under 23 team. The step up hasn’t fazed the youngster at all, recording 6 goals in 7 games in the ‘Premier League 2’ and the UEFA Youth League.

With this goalscoring record, it can only be a matter of time before Greenwood gets his big break in the first time squad given that he even made the squad last time around against Valencia in the Champions League.

Tahith Chong

While Gomes and Greenwood have been with the club from a young age, Tahith Chong didn’t join the club academy until his sixteenth birthday. As one of the hottest prospects in the Netherlands, Chong was tracked by the club for a number of years before they secured his services on 27th July 2016.

The Dutch winger has put in some impressive performances in the youth team since arriving at the club, and has been fast-tracked into the Under 23 squad despite only just turning 19.

Fans have been excited with Chong’s potential in the past couple of years, but the hype surrounding the youngster has been increasing following his brief appearances in the 2018/19 pre-season tour where he put in a number of impressive performances. The winger was also an unused substitute in the Champions League match against Juventus