Erik ten Hag has taken a youth-drenched squad to Spain for their week-long training camp amid the World Cup break.
The Manchester United manager wants to ensure the remaining first-team stars who didn’t travel to Qatar keep their fitness up ahead of the season’s resumption on December 21, when they take on Burnley in the League Cup.
Aside from Alejandro Garnacho and Zidane Iqbal, who are already training regularly with the senior side, 15 of the 29-man group are academy hopefuls. Shola Shoretire, Kobbie Mainoo and Charlie McNeill are just three of the names who are trying to impress the first-team manager.
They have been presented with a unique opportunity that will probably never be on offer again thanks to the World Cup’s scheduling. They will play two friendlies during their stay - against Cadiz on Wednesday, and Real Betis on Saturday.
Garnacho is an example of what can be achieved by academy players, following in the footsteps of Anthony Elanga - also in the squad - last season.
They have both shown their quality and Ten Hag now knows their character. Garnacho has had to be reined in but, now back on track, he is flourishing with his last touch of the ball being the winner against Fulham just before the break.
But just hours later, comments from idol Cristiano Ronaldo emphatically overshadowed his achievement. In his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan that aired later that week, the 37-year-old made three claims about the young players at United - all of which they can disprove during their time in Andalusia.
Now-free-agent Ronaldo claimed that the upcoming generation do not look up to the elders in the squad, saying: “I don’t think they respect the experienced players or the older players.”
Among the first-team regulars in Spain are Victor Lindelof, Donny van de Beek and longest-serving squad member David de Gea.
They can show Ronaldo’s claim is shallow by heeding the advice and example of their seniors while not losing that long-term determination to take their place in the team, which will help debunk the second theory.
Ronaldo added: “Their [young players’] hunger - I think they have things more easily. They don’t suffer. They don’t care. I don’t mean only Manchester United but all the teams, all the leagues in the world. They are not the same as my generation.”
Finally, the veteran claimed: “This generation, it’s like they listen to one thing and in two minutes they have already forgotten it, and they do whatever they think it’s better.”
This is indeed an important aspect Ten Hag will be looking for in his rising stars: Listening to the advice, understanding it and implementing it. This is the only way the academy hopefuls will get their chance under the Dutchman.
By ensuring they study the game and take mental notes during the week away, they can set themselves up for a crack at the first-team in the future.
Ten Hag will not provide any of them minutes in either friendly if he feels any of Ronaldo's three theories are present in a player. So it will take just a couple of them to be handed game time in Spain to show that Ronaldo was wrong.