Manchester United kick off their pre-season campaign later today and with the majority of senior players still away on holiday, some of the club's youngsters are set to be given the chance to make an impact.
Erik ten Hag flew his 26-man squad out to Oslo yesterday afternoon, their whistle-stop visit to the Norwegian capital comprising of a meeting with old rivals Leeds United. The Yorkshire club were relegated from the Premier League last season and are undergoing a major shake-up, with Daniel Farke taking charge of his first game.
Leeds may be the ones mixing things up across the board but it is United's squad that looks almost unrecognisable from the one that turned out most weeks last season. Many of Ten Hag's senior players were away on international duty last month and are still enjoying their summer breaks, due to return at some point in the next week.
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The United manager announced his travelling party on Tuesday, with only seven senior names included - one of which is new signing Mason Mount. The majority of this afternoon's players will be academy prospects looking to make the step up, and Ten Hag's meticulous work within the youth set-up may be about to pay dividends.
Since his arrival in Manchester last year, the Dutchman has been keen to align the first team with the academy, overseeing the development of the club's young stars.
“For me, cooperation between all the different departments is crucial to get the right culture in a club," he told Voetbal International in December. "Like at Ajax, when I entered Manchester United the reserve team was isolated.
“It was no longer really part of the academy, but it wasn’t part of the first team either. I changed that immediately - just as I did when I entered Amsterdam.
“At Ajax, the reserve team came under the responsibility of the manager. That was the only way I could have influence on the flow of young, talented players towards the first team.”
That flow has been evident throughout the last 12 months, albeit cautious. Alejandro Garnacho was a regular presence in the matchday squad all season, while 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo started to join him following the turn of the year. Plenty of attention has been paid to those sent out on loan, including the likes of Alvaro Fernandez, Hannibal Mejbri and Amad.
It means that when Ten Hag lines up a team that is predominantly under-21 players this afternoon, he will already know who he thinks can break into the first team ahead of next season. He will also have clarity on which players need to improve in certain areas, and how he can test them over the next month or so.
Pre-season performances, of course, need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Last summer saw Zidane Iqbal set himself up for a breakthrough campaign but the midfielder failed to make a single competitive appearance before being sold to FC Utrecht for €1million. But that shouldn't write off the opportunity handed to this year's crop of young talent.
“What I want to see is that they learn but also they show themselves because they have to deserve a position in top football," Ten Hag told official club media ahead of last year's pre-season preparations. "You have to deserve your position. It means you have to deliver every day, that demands a certain style, a certain way of life that they have to adapt to, that they probably don’t know yet.
"But I am really looking forward to seeing if they can do it," he admitted. "I hope one or two, they can prove themselves and they come into the squad but, if they want to enter the dressing room, they have to deserve it.”
The youngsters who have travelled to Oslo need to listen to those words of encouragement, and the knowledge that their manager has been watching them for the past year can only help Ten Hag's experiment.
