At his unveiling as Manchester United manager, José Mourinho was keen to pre-empt any notion that he fails to promote from within a club’s ranks. The Portuguese produced a list of 49 footballers – later increased to 55 – he claimed to have done so with, to prove the point.
Some of these were disingenuous. Arjen Robben was, to offer one illustration, already a Holland international with 100-plus club appearances when he joined Mourinho at Chelsea in 2004. Yet the depth of Mourinho’s squad – as indicated by the strength of the bench for Sunday’s 3-1 win at Bournemouth – appears the greatest threat to home-reared footballers being given a chance.
The six outfield substitutes at the Vitality Stadium were Marcos Rojo, Michael Carrick, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, and Marcus Rashford. And the manager was also without the suspended Paul Pogba, signed for a world record £93.2m.
When Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford on 1 July, 12 of the 15 hopefuls given a debut by his predecessor, Louis van Gaal, remained at the club. What now are their prospects?
Jesse Lingard
Debut Swansea City, 16 August 2014
Has established himself in the first-team squad, scoring the extra-time winner against Crystal Palace that secured United’s first FA Cup since 2004. Missed the trip to Bournemouth through injury but was chosen for the previous weekend’s Community Shield triumph against Leicester City, scoring a memorable goal.
Appearances: 41
Tyler Blackett
Debut Swansea City, 16 August 2014
Signed a £20,000-a-week contract in February 2015 and featured only two more times, as a substitute, for a total of 27 minutes. Went on loan to Celtic last season but returned to Old Trafford six months later. Is waiting to go back out on loan.
Appearances: 12
Andreas Pereira
Debut MK Dons, 26 August 2014
Took part in the humiliating 4-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Stadium MK and was not seen again in Van Gaal’s debut season. Appeared to make a breakthrough by playing 11 times last year, but the last time he featured was on 25 February, as a replacement in the 5-1 win over Midjytlland at Old Trafford. That was in the Europa League. And as with the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup – other competitions the Brazilian has experienced – he did not start.
Appearances: 12
Paddy McNair
Debut West Ham United, 27 September 2014
Donald Love
Debut Midjytlland, 18 February 2015
Mourinho sold the pair to Sunderland last week, making them the second and third of Van Gaal’s little devils to be shipped out. Despite McNair being a Northern Ireland international who featured at Euro 2016, the Portuguese made clear his lack of belief in the player by signing Eric Bailly for £30m in the summer. Love was the junior part of the £5.5m deal that took him and McNair to the Stadium of Light, having never featured for United beyond his debut.
Appearances McNair: 27 | Love: 1
Guillermo Varela
Debut West Ham United, 5 December 2015
Made his bow two-and-a-half years after becoming David Moyes’s first signing at United and became the first Van Gaal debutant to be allowed to leave by Mourinho, joining Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. Doing so at 23 suggests there is no long-term future at United for the Uruguayan right-back.
Appearances: 11
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Debut West Bromwich Albion, 7 November 2015
Played 14 times last season and impressed. Began this season injured and with Luke Shaw the first-choice left-back, and Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian also able to play in the position, Borthwick-Jackson’s future is unclear.
Appearances: 14
Joe Riley
Debut Shrewsbury Town, 22 February 2016
Began as a midfielder and is now a full-back, but having to compete with Luke Shaw, Daley Blind, Borthwick-Jackson, Matteo Darmian, Antonio Valencia, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah is hardly easy.
Appearances: 2
Marcus Rashford
Debut Midtjylland, 25 February 2016
Undoubted star of last season’s newbies. The striker, who does not turn 19 until the final day of October, featured for England at Euro 2016 on the back of his displays for United and it a surprise to see Memphis Depay preferred to him as a late substitute at Bournemouth.
Appearances: 18
Regan Poole
Debut Midtjylland, 25 February 2015
Appears a long way back into the first-team picture for the 19-year-old midfielder.
Appearances: 1
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Debut Arsenal, 28 February 2016
After Lingard and Rashford, appears to have the best hope of establishing himself at Old Trafford. At 6ft 3in and with a penchant for a tough tackle, the Dutchman is the kind of defender Mourinho likes.
Appearances: 10
James Weir
Debut Arsenal, 28 February 2016 Another of the hopefuls who must gaze at the midfielders available to the manager and wonder if it is time to move on.
Appearances: 1
Players who left before Mourinho arrived
Reece James
Debut MK Dons, 26 August 2014 Another one-game wonder whose United career ended at final whistle at Stadium MK. Went on loan to Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town before completing a long-term move to Wigan Athletic in July 2015.
Appearances: 1
Tom Thorpe
Debut West Ham United, 27 September 2014
Released 12 months ago and joined Rotherham United. Had a loan spell at Bradford City last season.
Appearances: 1
Saidy Janko
Debut MK Dons, 26 August 2014 Agreed a four-year deal with Celtic in July 2015 after being sent on loan to Bolton Wanderers following his solitary outing for United.
Appearances: 1
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