Meet Manchester United's young stars hoping to impress against Wrexham
Man United: Noam Emeran is the winger likened to Marcus Rashford, Martin Odegaard’s compatriot Isak Hansen-Aaroen and hotshot striker Joe Hugill all hope to impress in pre-season game against Wrexham
- Man United are taking on Wrexham in a pre-season encounter in America
- The Red Devils named a 15-man squad made up of academy stars for the clash
- Below, Mail Sport delves deeper into Old Trafford’s biggest stars for the future
Manchester United will take on Wrexham in San Diego on Wednesday with Jonny Evans leading out a team of Old Trafford academy products in the pre-season encounter.
Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney are trying to further raise the profile of National League champions Wrexham by arranging pre-season clashes against elite Premier League teams, with the Red Devils next on their list.
Erik ten Hag’s side are busy ramping up preparations ahead of the new English top-flight season that will also see United compete in the Champions League, with upcoming youth talents hoping to make their mark Stateside.
United’s fabled academy has produced a string of world-class stars over the years and new talent is hoping to break their way into Ten Hag’s first-team plans.
And below, Mail Sport delves deeper into some of the United youngsters who could be set to shine against Wrexham.
Manchester United starlets are set to take on Wrexham in a pre-season clash on Wednesday
United youngsters are hoping to impress in a bid to break into Erik ten Hag’s first-team plans
Marc Jurado
Age: 19, Position: Right-back
The Spaniard moved to Manchester from Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy three years ago and was thrust into United’s Under 18 team to sound out his potential.
Jurado made 12 appearances in his debut year in England and backed that up with another impressive campaign the following season before graduating to United’s Under 21 set-up last year.
A regular spot in the Premier League 2 side followed, where he played 25 times,scoring three goals in the process.
He also trained with United’s first-team on a few occasions during last season and Barcelona are reportedly keen to bring him back to Spain.
Marc Jurado (right) starred since moving from Barcelona and is on the verge of the first team
Noam Emeran
Age: 20, Position: Left-wing
Emeran was a relatively unknown academy star even to United supporters prior to bursting onto the stage in the first-team’s pre-season victory over Leeds in Oslo where he opened the scoring.
A pacey winger with plenty of trickery, the 20-year-old has been compared to Marcus Rashford after storming through the club’s academy ranks and will be targeting senior minutes next season if he continues to impress.
Born in France and also holding Rwandan citizenship, Emeran left French side Amiens SC for a club record departure at the age of 16 and apparently snubbed moves from Juventus and PSG to commit his future to United.
He scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 55 academy appearances last season and is definitely one to watch at Carrington.
Noam Emeran (pictured) scored for United in Oslo and has been compared to Marcus Rashford
Isak Hansen-Aaroen
Age: 18, Position: Central midfield
The 18-year-old Norwegian is one of his nation’s brightest emerging talents and will be hoping to carve out a Premier League career similar to his countrymen Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland.
Able to pivot between centre midfield and attacking midfield, Hansen-Aaroen has been part of United’s academy teams, initially starring at Under 18 level before being promoted to the U21 side where he has so far made 39 appearances.
Erik ten Hag has called the talented youngster up for multiple first-team training sessions after being impressed with his performance in last season’s friendly clash against Rayo Vallecano, but he is yet to make a competitive senior appearance.
Astute in progressing the ball up the pitch through central attacking runs and unafraid to take opponents on, Hansen-Aaroen looks to have a bright future at Old Trafford.
Norwegian talent Isak Hansen-Aaroen is just 18 and looks like a star in the making at United
MANCHESTER UNITED’S SQUAD TO FACE WREXHAM ON WEDNESDAY
Sonny Aljofree, Toby Collyer, Jonny Evans, Will Fish, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Elyh Harrison, Joe Hugill, Marc Jurado, Willy Kambwala, Charlie McNeill, Dermot Mee, Mateo Mejia, Maxi Oyedele, Logan Pye, Shola Shoretire.
Joe Hugill
Age: 19, Position: Striker
Born in the north east city of Durham, Hugill swapped Sunderland for Manchester three years ago after the two clubs agreed a £250,000 deal for the then-16-year-old.
United’s academy product in the making is viewed as an old-fashioned centre forward and standing at 6ft 1in is a handful for opposition youth defences to come up against.
Hugill has been a prolific goalscorer in United’s development teams with his best season yet seeing a return of 23 goals in 45 appearances for the Under 21 team after already impressing at U18 level.
He moved on a short-term loan to National League side Altrincham last season in a bid to secure senior experience, scoring one goal in his debut against York City and making six more appearances.
Youth team striker Joe Hugill (middle) has risen through the ranks of United’s fabled academy
Shola Shoretire
Age: 19, Position: Winger
One of those to travel to San Diego for United’s clash with Wrexham, Shoretire has endured a turbulent few years in Manchester as he bids to establish himself a place in the club’s first-team.
The peak of those years came when the youngster made his senior debut against Newcastle in a Premier League victory in 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the age of 17.
Further first-team opportunities followed as he made two more English top-flight appearances and singular outings in the Champions League and Europa League before falling down the club’s pecking order.
A short-term loan at Bolton in January was used to try and revive his career with United hoping the move would help transition him into men’s football, but just one goal in 16 appearances followed before returning to Carrington.
Shola Shoretire (left) has been involved in the first-team but dropped down the pecking order
Sonny Aljofree
Age: 18, Position: Centre-back
The 18-year-old – son of former Plymouth defender Hasney – is represented by the same company as first-team centre-back and former United captain Harry Maguire and is held in high regard around the club’s academy.
He has become a leading figure in the club’s Under 18 setup after starting last season attempting to break through into the team before impressive performances saw him later named captain.
United finished fourth in the U18 Premier League north standings during their most recent campaign with Aljofree influential in guiding his side to nine clean sheet victories over the course of the season.
Victory in the FA Youth Cup final last year has been the crowning moment in his developing career and first-team opportunities might not be far away.
Sonny Aljofree (second left) is United’s U18 captain and is tipped for a big future at the club
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