From Beckham to Neville to Giggs: Who are the best youngsters from Manchester United’s academy?

Manchester United is one of the most famous football clubs on the planet. It is also exceptional in the way it has always given and continues to give space to youngsters from the academy. Who are the best players to come through the Red Devils academy?

Duncan Edwards

Those who played against Edwards agree on one thing:: He could easily be classed as one of the most talented players of all time, many believe he was the best in the whole of Britain. He played mostly in midfield, but could play virtually any position.

He was part of the so-called ‘Bushy’s Babes’ and won the Premier League twice (1956, 1957) and the FA Cup three times (1953, 1957, 1958) with Manchester City. In 1958, aged just 21, he was a victim of the infamous Munich air crash.

Sir Bobby Charlton

One of the greatest footballers in history. Charlton won everything he could. The Manchester United legend shot the club to European glory in 1968, and helped England to World Cup victory again in 1966.

Only Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane have scored more goals for the England national team and only Ryan Giggs has played more games for Manchester United. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1966.

George Best

The most famous footballer of his generation, whose legend lives on today. Best terrified all defenders from the right wing, whose ankles were in critical condition after duels with the Northern Irish speedster.

He was a tremendous talent and his star began to shine very quickly, but equally it began to grey very quickly due to his alcohol addiction. He later paid the price when he died of kidney failure at the age of 59. He won the European Cup with the Red Devils, but he certainly had more to offer.

Ryan Giggs

Quite possibly the best United player in history. No one has played more games for the Red Devils (963), Giggs also won 25 major trophies, including 13 Premier League titles.

Giggs was a symbol of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, since he hung up his cleats at 40, the club has been waiting for a similar icon.

The Welsh heartthrob has retained his place in several Red Devils squads, gradually changing his role from flying winger to midfield dispatcher. He set records at Old Trafford that may never be broken.

David Beckham

A global icon who has achieved success both on and off the pitch. The Manchester United alumnus made his A-team debut at the age of 17 and won 6 Premier League titles.

Beckham also captained England and later moved to Real Madrid, where he also won the title. He then moved to LA Galaxy, followed by brief stints at AC Milan and PSG.

Paul Scholes

Scholes was one of the less appreciated players of the “Class of 92”. But not for those who played with him. Even Pep Guardiola described him as the best midfielder of his generation. Zinedine Zidane called him untouchable, Xavi described him as the most complete midfielder.

The ginger midfielder was a master of passing, able to find his teammates from any distance, from any angle, with both feet. But at the same time, he could score beautiful goals. In his career, he won 11 Premier League titles, also celebrating the Champions League.

Gary Neville

Ideal scenario. You bring in a youngster who then takes over one post and doesn’t let anyone in for a few years. Gary Neville has been a clear constant at right-back and has never played for any team other than Manchester United. He started 602 games for the Red Devils, in which he won 17 trophies.

Paul Pogba

A lovestory that didn’t exactly have a happy ending. Back in the youth, there were rumours that a great talent with the name Paul Pogba was growing up in the academy. But he was unhappy with his non-inclusion in the A-team and left for Juventus. In Turin, he ranked among the best midfielders in the world and returned to Old Trafford in 2016 for €105 million.

However, he never quite fulfilled his potential and was often dogged by health problems and coaching issues at United. So he returned to Juventus for free when his contract expired.

Marcus Rashford

Rashford had a rocket start. He scored in all his debuts, scoring 4 goals in the first two games, while initially being the emergency solution Louis van Gaal used to solve the crisis in attack. But Rashford impressed enough to stay in the A-team and never dropped out. A year later, he even scored on his debut for the England national team.

Especially in the 2019/20 season, he was the driving force for the Red Devils as he scored 17 goals and added 7 assists, and the next season he had a record of 11+9 and scored another six goals in the Champions League. But last season he was plagued by injuries and his performances dropped tremendously, he often came under criticism from the fans. However, he is still only 24 years old and has plenty of time to become the leader of Manchester United.

Other famous Manchester United alumni:

Norman Whiteside, Mark Hughes, Sammy McIlroy, Mark Robins, Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher.

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