Manchester United had ‘the next Scholes’ in Carrington but Ten Hag let him leave for £0

One of the most respected academies in world football Manchester United Carrington.

You can go back to football history as much as you want; United have always produced some of the best academy graduates.

In recent years, there have been a few stars flying the flag for the Red Devils’ academy. The main name that comes to my mind is Marcus Rashford, who is now plying his trade at Barcelona, ​​where he travels.

For his boyhood club, the Wythenshawe-born player made 426 appearances, scoring 138 goals and providing 79 assists.

Kobbie Mainoo is a more recent example. It was brought through Erik ten Hagalthough the Dutchman has been quite harsh when it comes to giving academy stars a chance.

The academy’s top prospects leave under Ten Hag’s management

It is naturally very difficult to get into the first team of a club of United’s size. There were a few players, like Maino and Alejandro Garnacho, who Ten Hag gave a platform to. However, others did not make it and were sold by the former United manager, only to flourish at other clubs.

Someone who definitely fits this bill is Alvaro Carreras. The 22-year-old completed his move to Real Madrid this summer after impressing at Benfica. He never played a first-team match at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag opting not to give him the chance to make his debut.

He moved to Portugal permanently last summer after a loan spell in 2023/24, before joining Los Blancos in 2025. He has started every La Liga game under Xabi Alonso, operating at left-back and even as a centre-back.

Anthony Elanga could also fall into the same category. Despite impressing under Ralf Rangnick and scoring a huge goal away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, he played just 26 games under Ten Hag before moving to Nottingham Forest.

This summer he moved to Newcastle United for a huge fee of £55m, but has yet to score for the Toon.

Both players could have realistically done this in a different era. The same can be said about new United player Paul Scholes. At least that’s how it was described at the time.

Ten Hag abandons Scholes next to Manchester United

There is no doubt that some of the academy sales made under Ten Hag, over the years, have been huge mistakes. For example, the decision to include Carreras must have been upsetting to United fans given how well he performed in Madrid.

When the Red Devils decided not to renew Shula Shoretier’s contract in 2024, it ended a United run that had seen the Newcastle-born midfielder become the club’s youngest player to appear in a European match, at 17 years and 23 days.

It’s safe to say that in his younger days, the former United number 47 was incredibly highly rated.

said Stephen Rutherford, director of football at his junior club That he would “compare Shula with Paul Scholes” is really commendable.

Shoretire’s record at United’s academy was impressive. In Premier League 2, he played 61 matches, scoring 29 goals and assisting 18 others. He has played all over the midfield and even on the wing.

Unfortunately for Shoretier, he was only able to make five first-team appearances at Old Trafford. A loan spell at Bolton Wanderers saw him gain first-team opportunities, but he left Old Trafford upon the expiration of his contract in 2024.

He joined Greek side PAOK on a free transfer and is now playing on loan for BEC Zwolle in the Netherlands. That comparison with Scholes seems like a long time ago now.

Under Ten Hag, the 21-year-old has only appeared on the bench four times. Despite his excellent form in the academy, Dutchman Shoretier has never been given a greater opportunity to showcase his skills at senior level.

This may always be something United fans look back on and think what could have been. The youngest European player ever was clearly extremely talented, and comparing him to Scholes is no easy feat.

Perhaps, if he had been given more of a platform by Ten Hag, he could have proven his value at United.