Manchester United’s FA Cup 4th round meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on
Saturday was notable for the first team debuts of three young United players. Their
chances may have come as a result of a lengthy injury list at Old Trafford, but
their appearance undoubtedly added some much-needed sparkle to a fixture that
had threatened to be overshadowed by more pressing concerns for both teams in the
Premier League. Thrusting three new players aged 21 or under into first team
action for the first time is a rarity in these days of squads numbering 25 or
more, but at clubs with the youth traditions of United in particular, there is
still little that excites the fans more than seeing these youngsters shine on
the pitch. Maintaining this proud tradition has, indeed, been like an elixir of
life for Sir Alex Ferguson himself in his 22 years in charge of the club.
The undoubted new star for United this season has been the right-back,
Rafael da Silva, but fans have also eagerly awaited the appearance of identical
twin Fabio, who resembles his brother in every way other than the fact he plays
on the left. Ironically, it was an injury to Rafael that gave Fabio his
opportunity at the weekend, but supporters were quickly impressed with a debut
showing that was lively from its very outset. His appearance was unfortunately
cut short by injury early in the second half, but this then allowed Richard
Eckersley to come off the bench and complete another pair of United siblings, after
elder brother Adam made one Carling Cup appearance back in 2005. Finally, Zoran
Tošić also entered the fray for his first outing since signing from Partizan
Belgrade in the January transfer window, and despite only being given 18
minutes to impress on this occasion, the Premier League will doubtless be
seeing more of the Serbian in the weeks and months to come.
It was fitting that Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were also on the pitch
to oversee the introduction of this new generation, but such juxtaposition of
eras also served to highlight just how much football has changed in the last 20
years. The 1992 FA Youth Cup winning generation, which also featured Ryan Giggs
and David Beckham, would still be exceptional in any era, but the young players
joining the first team squads of top teams today hail from all four corners of
the globe. Serbian international Tošić (21) arrived from Partizan together with
Adem Ljajić (17), supposedly an even bigger prospect, for the joint sum of £16.3
million. The Brazilian da Silva twins, meanwhile, signed their first deals with
United at the age of 16, despite FIFA rules making them ineligible to play
until their 18th birthday, and eventually moved to Manchester a year ago
without ever having played for the Fluminense first eleven.
Of course, the influx of players from overseas has been a constant theme
in English football since the Premier League was formed, but its progression
into youth squads has come about partly as a result of the FA’s academy system.
The system, which was introduced in 1998, has been rightly commended for its
attempts to ensure that England’s budding footballers receive a thorough
education both on and off the pitch, but has been a source of contention for
clubs already possessing well-developed youth set-ups due to a rule that states
that domestic recruits must live within a 90-minute radius of the training
facility. Unable now to scout players from other parts of the country, clubs
like United have reacted, however, by broadening their searches to cover
virtually the entire planet, with names such as Gerard Piqué (now at Barcelona), Giuseppe Rossi
(Villarreal), and the da Silva twins, as well as future prospects like Rodrigo
Possebon (19, ex-Internacional) and Federico Macheda (17, ex-Lazio) having already
joined the club as teenagers. Young players already beginning to make a name
for themselves overseas, such as Tošić, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Anderson have joined for
massive transfer fees, with the thinking being that the right development will
see them blossom into true superstars. Hailing from London, David Beckham could
not have joined the United academy under the current regulations, but for local
boys like the Salford-born Eckersley brothers, competition is now fiercer and more
global than ever before.
This trend is not necessarily disastrous, and the emergence of players
like Rafael and Fabio remains a source of real excitement to United fans, but
one cannot help but remember their first glimpses of Scholes and Giggs with slightly
greater affection. Just as Eric Cantona was a significant figure in the
development of the young United side of the 1990s, young Japanese players too have
been helped by overseas role models such as Dunga, Dragan Stojković, and Sidiclei, but the key, common
factor here is that the real learning has always happened on the pitch itself. Unbound
by the Bosman ruling, the J League is at least still able to provide its fans
with the sense of pride and affinity they feel at seeing local lads, such as
Michihiro Yasuda (Gamba Osaka; from Suita, Osaka) and Shinji Kagawa (Cerezo
Osaka; born just down the road in Kobe), come good for club and country.