Sir Alex Ferguson heaped praise on Man United stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho as the team legend praised the ‘calmness and confidence’ of the young duo.
Speaking at a golf event, Ferguson was asked by TikToker Jamal Niaz about the influence of Mainoo, 19, and Garnacho, 20, in recent months. The legendary former coach of MU pointed out one of the core values of Man United.
“That’s the foundation, right?” Sir Alex Ferguson said. “They have been the heart and soul of Man United since the days of Sir Matt Busby, who started the whole process of trusting young players to play. Mainoo and Garnacho are young. What they are showing at the moment , the calmness and confidence to play in the first team, and not be discouraged by that, in a way, that shows you the courage they have,” said the legendary MU strategist more.
After participating in a number of Man United first team matches in the 2022/23 season, Garnacho officially gained a foothold by making 50 appearances in all competitions last season and scoring 10 goals. . He was also part of Argentina’s Copa America winning squad this summer.
Mainoo followed suit, becoming irreplaceable eight months ago, scoring the decisive goal in the FA Cup final and becoming a key player for England at EURO 2024. Both are champions. MU’s most recent FA Youth Cup win was in 2022, a highly regarded tournament at Old Trafford since its inception in 1952.
Returning to MU, the Manchester team established a youth team in 1938 with the ambition of creating a team entirely made up of local players. And while times have changed drastically, the team has continued to field at least one adult player from the academy in every first-team match in the more than 80 years since.
The idea of using young talent became an unshakable philosophy under Sir Busby from the late 1940s onwards and was revived spectacularly by Sir Alex Ferguson in the late 1980s. And Ethan Wheatley became became the 250th academy graduate to debut for the first team when he came off the bench in a Premier League match against Sheffield United last April.
