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Manchester United doesn’t really have an official youth player of the year award, but instead chooses to honor the best youth team player that year with the Jimmy Murphy award.
Since its founding in 1989/90, the award has been claimed by some distinguished names, such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Wes Brown, Marcus Rashford and, last year, Mason Greenwood.
But if the award was extended to a traditional Young Player of the Year honor, such as the PFA gong that has not been won by a United player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006/07, then it would be fiercely contested this season.
The PFA award is eligible for players 23 and under at the start of the season and while it may seem overly generous, it would create serious competition at United.
Of the players who have regularly appeared this season, Brandon Williams, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay, Daniel James, Marcus Rashord, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood would all be eligible and probably all would have their supporters.
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Five of the seven are 22 or younger, with McTominay now 23 and Martial turning 24 in December. All seven have had good seasons at Old Trafford, which must be lordly heaven to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has been determined to build his team around the freshness of youth, will feel vindicated for taking that approach.
It is probably too soon for Williams to win this award, although he has had an excellent season at the first team level and must surely be the favorite for the Jimmy Murphy award, despite the strong performances of James Garner and Dylan Levitt at the academy level. .
New signings Wan-Bissaka and James have had good first seasons at Old Trafford. The former has improved as the season progresses and he was reaching his best form just before the season was suspended, adding a threat in the last third to defensive ability that has seen him neutralize Raheem Sterling on a couple of occasions. .
James had an electric start to his career at United and then suffered a fall in form but recently returned to his prime and must be pleased with how his season has gone, considering it is his first at this level and only his second last year season. football at all.
In midfield, McTominay has had another stellar season, forming a good rapport with Fred and continuing to grow stronger. He seems born to be a United player.
The three eligible forwards on this list have had a huge impact. Mason Greenwood’s 12 goals in his first season as a regular first-team member are reaching 0.6 goals for every 90 minutes he plays, which is an astonishing record for a player who only turned 18 in October.
Greenwood is regularly hailed as the best finisher on the United team and has been completely at home at this level. Last season’s Jimmy Murphy Award winner seems destined for a long career at Old Trafford as evidence of this season.
Both Martial and Rashford have enjoyed their best seasons against goal for United. The Frenchman appeared to be a victim of Solskjaer’s rebuilding this time last year, but took responsibility for receiving the No. 9 jersey and, while it still doesn’t look like the full package, a 16-goal return to 0.54 per 90 minutes is impressive. Martial has also handled the responsibility of being the lead man in Rashford’s absence in impressive fashion since mid-January.
Which brings us to Rashford. The 22-year-old is probably the leading candidate to win United’s Player of the Year award, making him the favorite here too, however the competition he would face has to be positive.
His 19 goals in 31 games have illuminated the season and he is now fulfilling that potential. It was a bold move for Solskjaer to compare him to Ronaldo in December, but the goals have continued to flow ever since. The double stress fracture to his back suffered in mid-January is all that has kept Rashford from racking up 25-30 goals this season, but he has had a brilliant year and has now set the standards for him to follow.
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