United's Boys to Men.

I'm sure almost every Manchester United fan has dreamed about scoring the winning goal in front of the Stretford End to earn the Reds a vital victory. Well, imagine not only doing it once, but twice.

Marcus Rashford must have been pinching himself the morning after his dream debut against Midtjylland as he realised exactly what he had achieved. Not only had he helped his side into a mouthwatering last 16 clash with arch rivals Liverpool, but he had also put his name in the record books as United's youngest scorer in European competition an honour previously held by the one and only George Best.

Not bad for a local lad who thought he would be on the bench hoping to get a run out for the last few minutes. Fate has a strange way of showing its hand.

It has been a season in which United have had to rely on the youngsters at the club to help out the first team due to the heavy loss of players due to injury and boy have they risen to the challenge. Jesse Lingard is the main example, a product of the United system, he has enjoyed an extended run in the side and has not let himself down not only performing well but contributing with five goals.

The main positions that have needed the most cover have been in the full back spots and they have been admirably filled by the likes of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Donald Love, Guillermo Varela, Joe Riley and a late cameo by Regan Poole against Midtjylland.

In attack, James Wilson obviously didn't grab van Gaal's attention and was allowed to join Brighton on loan and it was a surprise that the manager recalled Will Keane as cover in the attack in place of Wilson. Andreas Pereira has been used fleetingly but has been involved in the full squad set up for a while.

And that's the main point getting the young players involved as much as possible with the first team. They might not play every week, but the fact that they are training and travelling with the more experienced players is a crucial component in any young players development. It's imperative they learn how to be a Manchester United player on and off the field.

In the first leg in Denmark and against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup, there was a bench full of academy and reserves, including the recalled from loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson as cover for Romero. Valuable experience even if they didn't manage to get involved in the matches.

It's been a mixed bag for the academy teams this season with a change in coaches after a poor season, which saw Paul McGuinness depart after years involved in the progress of many players.

With former graduate of the famous class of '92 Nicky Butt now in charge of the academy it guarantees that the young starlets' feet will remain firmly on the ground as he will lead by example and ensure his young charges do not get carried away with the fame that will surely come their way.

The reserves have had a better season sitting pretty at the top of their league and it's that side that has provided the main cover for the first team. With the likes of James Weir receiving rave reviews for his overall contribution this season, it won't be long until a few more young stars of the future will be knocking on the door of the first team.

Many negatives have been said and written about Louis van Gaal's tenure as manager of the club. However, one thing is for sure he has not been afraid to give the youth a chance. It can be argued that as he didn't sign covering players in the transfer window then he has had little or no choice but to turn to the youngsters.

The main thing is once they have been given the go ahead the players have responded well and at no point seem overawed by the step up to the first team. It's so refreshing seeing them clearly enjoying themselves and obviously playing for the club rather than their wallet and long may that enthusiasm last.

It looks like the latest batch of young talent off the production line is bright at Old Trafford and long may the tradition of nurturing talents like Rashford, Lingard & Co. continue to flourish for many more years to come.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Dismal Display In Denmark.

Midtjylland 2 Manchester United 1

No more! Manchester United directors need to start to the process of replacing Louis van Gaal as the manager of a team that is being dragged ever lower into the depths of despair following this latest defeat by FC Midtjylland. Or, he should at least offer his resignation and put us all out of the misery that is of his own making.

Let's get the inevitable excuses, which van Gaal will no doubt make, out of the way first. Thirteen injured first team players prior to the match, then add to that your number one keeper injures himself in the warm up. A defence made up of players not used to playing together, a bench crammed with mainly reserve team players and you could argue that United were up against it on the night.

But wait a moment the opposition is from the Danish league who last played a competitive match back in December and were beaten 9-1 by Napoli over two legs in the group stages of the same competition. That tells you exactly how shocking United's performance was.

This was a display so awful that words can hardly describe the utter naivety and inept way United succumbed to defeat. Weak challenges, poor passing and the inability to take control of a game that the home side should never have been allowed to dictate the way they did. Yes, we should beat the Danes next week at Old Trafford but hasn't the damage to our pride already been done?

Manchester United is a proud club that has been built on the rich traditions of stylish, flowing and attacking play and a never say die attitude with players willing to overcome any obstacles with the one aim of winning, come what may. There was no one on display in this game that could be associated with those same values.

Also, the same can be said of the coaching staff, who remained glued to their seats as their players clearly needed direction from someone on the touchline even if it was only to issue a rally cry and at least attempt to show some passion.

Winning this second class Europa League has become the only realistic chance United have of qualifying for the Champions League next season because a top four spot is looking increasingly unlikely as each Premier League week goes by, but judging by this showing even that is going to be harder than it looks.

Next up is Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup 5th round and you can bet they will be rubbing their hands in anticipation of United's visit on Monday.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United Fail To Deliver.

Sunderland 2 Manchester United 1

In a match that at least on paper United should have won fairly easily ended in a defeat which not only leaves top four qualification in the balance, but also throws fresh doubt on Louis van Gaal's position as manager.

Outplayed, out-thought and outgunned by a Sunderland side fighting for their Premiership survival United offered little in the way of ideas of how to compete with the Black Cats.

Coming into this match United's Premier League away record against the Sunderland was impressive, having played fourteen and won nine of them and having only lost one. So, a victory was definitely on the cards for the Red Devils bearing in mind the style of attacking play they had put on in the last three games and the fact that Sunderland has been struggling for most of the season.

Under new manager Sam Allardyce they have started to put a run of form together and pulled an unlikely draw out of the hat away at Anfield last week after falling behind by two goals.

After sticking with the same side for the last two matches van Gaal decided a slight reshuffle was needed and chose this starting XI: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Borthwick-Jackson, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Mata, Lingard, Rooney and Martial.

The manager made only one change to the starting eleven and that was to rest Fellaini completely as he brought Schneiderlin back to the midfield to partner Carrick.

The surprises were on the bench as there were three youngsters called up to join the first team and they were defender Donald Love, midfielder James Weir and striker Will Keane who netted five goals against Norwich City last week in an under 21 match. In fact, the U21s are now leaders in their league above, ironically, today's opponents Sunderland.

Sunderland got the game underway on a bitterly cold afternoon and before any of the players could get warmed up the hosts took the lead from a Khazri free-kick that went through everyone and caught De Gea off guard as he dived late and was unable to stop the ball creeping in at the far post.

Great start for the home side after only three minutes not so much for the visitors but there was still a long way to go in the match and more than enough time for United to put things right.

It was almost 2-0 for Sunderland after ten minutes when the ball was bubbling around De Gea's six-yard area only for Defoe to thankfully miss kick his shot under pressure from Smalling.

United had played in some decent balls into the opposition area without being able to cause any worry to former red O'Shea and his defence. They were also guilty of giving away needless free kicks while attacking in the final third. So far, this was not the same United side that had performed well in the last three outings.

In the opening half an hour Sunderland was on top of the match and had created the better chances, including a fair shout for a penalty against Schneiderlin. It seemed that the wind had been knocked out of United's sails by that early goal.

Mata had the first clear chance on goal for United with a snapshot from the edge of the area which was fired directly into the keeper's hands.

Ten minutes before the break Darmian was involved in a collision with goalscorer Khazri which clearly caused the Italian defender immense pain in his right shoulder that forced him off.

Then all the away fans raised the roof as Anthony Martial scored a sublime equaliser five minutes before half time. It all came from a passing move that ended with Mata firing a rasping drive that the keeper Mannone could only parry into the path of Martial who dinked the ball over the keeper into the net. A lovely finish which brought United right back into the game.

Before the restart, Donald Love replaced Darmian at right back to make his first team debut for United. With his surname and tomorrow being Valentines day it could have been a writer's dream for the headlines.

Half-time and it ended 1-1 thanks in no small part to Martial's awareness in front of goal. His quickness of feet is a joy to watch and the way he executed the little chip over the keeper shows how much confidence he has in his own ability.

The equaliser was the only bright spark on an otherwise dull display from United and with Darmian leaving the play with a shoulder problem, it could prove very expensive indeed with games coming thick and fast. The players were well below par and would drastically have to lift their game in the second half.

United started the second half with two youngsters Borthwick-Jackson and Love in the full back positions and no further changes.

Rooney had been fairly quiet in the first half and started the second by having his name taken for a careless trip on Cattermole.

It was Sunderland who started on the front foot and Defoe almost caused Blind to score an own goal which gratefully didn't happen as the ball squirmed past De Gea's post with the keeper beaten.

Mata became the next United player to be cautioned after he had bamboozled himself lost the ball and tripped up the defender. To be honest, it was a harsh booking as the ref should have laughed it off along with everyone else. Then Carrick gave Marriner no option but to book him after he fouled M'Vila right under the ref's nose.

Not a good start from United who were all at sixes and sevens and needed a straight head to guide them through this rocky period of play.

There was a very dangerous moment for United when N'Doye was put clean through the away defence and he struck his shot well when in a one on one position with De Gea but not for the first time this season the Spaniard stuck out his size 9's and saved a certain goal.

On the hour mark van Gaal made a change in attack when he replaced Lingard with Memphis who was celebrating his 22nd birthday.

United's passing had been terrible all day with Mata being the main culprit when in a forward position and Carrick comes a close second.

The Red Devils had De Gea to thank again as he pulled a save from his vast repertoire by tipping over a drive from close range by Kone. There are not enough adjectives to describe United's keeper at the moment he really is on top of his game.

As the final ten minutes approached the visitors enjoyed a spell of pressure, which resulted in a string of corners that had no end result as the Sunderland defence cleared them all too easily.

Disjointed could be used to describe United's play in this match as they looked at times like they had never played together before.

Van Gaal stated that Memphis had had his confidence boosted by his appearance for the U21s in midweek but that confidence was nowhere to be seen as he shot weakly towards the goal when he should have blasted it into the back of the net.

After being denied by De Gea earlier, Kone broke United's hearts by putting the Black Cats back into the lead with a header that somehow went under the keeper's body on the line. The winner was unfortunately put down as a De Gea own goal which was a shame as he had pulled off some fine stops prior to the goal.

Five minutes on the clock and with his side trailing van Gaal tried his last throw of the dice by replacing Schneiderlin with Keane in an attempt to save the game.

Memphis tried his luck with a curler that the keeper managed to punch away as United tried to save face. This was followed by O'Shea, who clearly hand balled a Memphis shot, but the referee only awarded a corner much to the disgust of Rooney and his teammates. There were a few shouts for penalties throughout the game and maybe Marriner felt he couldn't award one when he didn't give the others.

Full time and it ended in a 2-1 defeat that has left a very bad taste in the mouth. A result that has to go down as one of the worst of a season of many not so much for the fact that United lost against a team that has been struggling near the bottom all season but more for the fact that they performed so poorly.

United failed miserably to take an advantage in the race for a top four position with all the top four teams playing each other over the weekend. A victory would have seen United close the gap over City to just three points. However, once again van Gaal's side just didn't turn up for a fight.

There are only twelve Premier League matches remaining that will define United's season and they will surely have a strong bearing on whether Louis van Gaal will still be at the helm come next season. Failure to finish the campaign in one of the coveted top four positions will only add fire to the rumours surrounding the impending arrival of the self-proclaimed special one Jose Mourinho.

There is a backdoor chance of qualification for the Champions League via the Europa League, which starts this week with a first-leg tie away in Denmark against Midtjylland.

The quandary for van Gaal and his team is how seriously they take the tournament as on the one hand, it's the only European competition United have yet to win and along with the FA Cup it is their only realistic chance of silverware. On the other hand, a sustained run could hamper their league form through fitness and more injuries.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Man Utd vs Liverpool. A match not made in heaven.

Man United and Liverpool rivalry continues.

The two biggest rivals in the Premier League are heading for their first clash of the season this weekend at Old Trafford. A time when not only the teams battle it out on the pitch, but also the rival factions battle it out, verbally, on the terraces.

Everybody in English football has their adversaries, however none more so than the reds from either end of the East Lancs. A rivalry that has been built up over the years and one that is not likely to get any friendlier anytime in the future.

The tension between the two cities and clubs has been well documented down the years as both teams have fought it out to be the top dog of English football and no matter how hard the hierarchy have tried to broker peace deals there is more chance of a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. For the hatred is inbred having been passed down from generations to future generations. If you are a Man United fan then you hate Liverpool and definitely vice versa.

It was fanzines sold outside the stadiums during the 80's, 90's and into the new millennium that fueled the fire and gave fans the platform from which to vent their anger and this was followed by the development of social media that has only provided supporters with a bigger stage on which to show their bitterness towards each other with fans using the medium to poke fun at their rivals or more seriously take it to the extreme and downright vile levels of hatred.

Past jealousy has had a lot to do with the friction as in the fifties and sixties it was all about United then during the long wait for the title to return to Old Trafford it was Liverpool who were the top Liver birds until Alex Ferguson famously restored the balance and knocked them off their perch. Now it is the scousers who find themselves in the unenviable position of waiting for their next league success as it's been a quarter of a century since they were last crowned champions and in that time United leapfrogged the Anfield outfit to win the most titles.

Lately, the title has been a step too far for both clubs which has meant a battle to finish in the top four to enable Champions League qualification has been the target. Of course United's priority is to win the title, but if they do not, then to finish above Liverpool becomes crucial and this they achieved last season and by doing so claimed fourth place.

The players down the years have added that extra spice to the matches, especially during goal celebrations, none more so than Gary Neville, who ran the length of the pitch at Old Trafford to show the away fans in no uncertain terms where his loyalties lay that day and he even had his own anthem in which everyone one was reminded of who he hated.

Wayne Rooney seems to be the main target of the Liverpool fans' vitriol due to his allegiance to Everton, but with the departure of Steven Gerrard to the USA the United fans will have to find someone new to aim their particular hatred to, manager Brendan Rodgers appears to be a safe bet for the time being.

However, now that both sides have added new foreign stars to their squads will the intensity of the United vs Liverpool matchday recede? The answer has to be a resounding no as both set of players will only have to walk the streets of their new cities, read what the fans are saying on the internet or listen to the players who have had first-hand experience of what to expect from the games.

In recent times teams like Man City and Chelsea have risen to new heights thanks to the investment of billions into their transfer kitties, but Man Utd vs Liverpool is always the first match that both United and Liverpool fans look for when the Premier league announce the new season fixtures, whether it be at home or away the faithful on both sides plan for those days more than any other games.

So here is to the continuation of the rivalry as it makes the build up and aftermath of the matches all the more entertaining as both group of fans try to outdo each other in the bragging rights. One thing is for sure the new players on both sides will fully understand the importance of this fixture come Saturday evening win, lose or draw. Bring it on!

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.