 |
| Louis van Gaal says he's looking to integrate youth |
LOUIS VAN GAAL has praised Manchester United youngsters Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Paddy McNair.
The United boss has been impressed by the recent form of midfielder Lingard, who hit the bar in last weekend's goalless stalemate against rivals Manchester City.
Lingard, 22, played all 120 minutes of the Capital One Cup defeat to Middlesbrough last night, along with 19-year-old Andreas Pereira - the only player to convert in the penalty shootout.
And Van Gaal says he's always looking to assistant manager Ryan Giggs and youth coach Nicky Butt for advice on academy players, citing Paddy McNair's rise last season.
"It has always been part of my own philosophy and that of the club to give opportunities to youth players," Van Gaal said.
"Jesse Lingard is one of those players who was given a chance to play in the last three matches and he has taken that opportunity to prove that he deserves to be a member of the first-team squad.
"I have been delighted with the progress that he continues to make, along with Andreas Pereira, who played against Ipswich Town and scored his first senior competitive goal.
 |
| Jesse Lingard almost scored a dramatic goal in the Manchester derby |
 |
| Paddy McNair has made 19 appearances for the senior team since making his debut last year |
"With advice from Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, I regularly invite members of the development squad to train alongside the first team.
"It gives them a chance to step up their training and to improve their technical ability. A good example would be Paddy McNair.
"He trained a number of times with the first team, which helped him prepare physically and mentally, so that it wasn’t such a big step when he was called upon to the first team."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus