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Remembering the last 7 winners of Man United’s Young Player of the Season

Kobbie Mainoo has been named as Manchester United’s best academy talent, with the midfielder awarded the club’s prestigious Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year accolade.

The 18-year-old has been recognised for a breakthrough season that has seen Mainoo impress for the club’s youth side and make his senior debut.

Mainoo will hope to build on his achievement and break into Erik ten Hag’s plans on a regular basis, having joined an illustrious group of past winners that includes Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

Following his award we’ve looked back at the most recent winners of the accolade.

Remembering the last 7 winners of Manchester United’s Young Player of the Season.

Marcus Rashford (2015/16)

Marcus Rashford won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award after bursting onto the scene during the 2015/16 campaign.

Rashford announced his arrival as a senior star with a brace on debut against FC Midtjylland and followed that performance with another two goals on his Premier League bow against Arsenal. The forward has been a fixture in the side ever since and has become a key figure for both Manchester United and England.

Rashford has scored 123 goals in 359 appearances for the Red Devils and had the most productive campaign of his career in 2022/23. The 25-year-old scored 30 goals in all competitions, including a goal in the club’s Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle at Wembley.

He has become the first player to score 30 goals in a season for the club since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Unforgettable Debuts: A baby-faced Rashford announces himself to the world with Europa League brace

Angel Gomes (2016/17)

Angel Gomes claimed the award in 2016/17 and hopes were high that the midfielder could forge a long-term career at Old Trafford.

Gomes became Manchester United’s youngest ever debutant and the first player born in the 2000s to feature in the Premier League when making his first appearance as a late substitute against Crystal Palace in 2017.

Gomes formed part of the England u17 side that won the World Cup that summer, but made just a further four league appearances for the Red Devils before signing for Lille on a free transfer in 2020.

After a productive loan spell at Boavista, Gomes has made 68 appearances for the French side across the last two seasons.

Tahith Chong (2017/18)

Tahith Chong was recognised after an excellent season at youth level in 2017/18, with the winger producing some fine performances for the club in the UEFA Youth League.

Chong featured sporadically in the first-team after making his debut the following season, but departed for Birmingham City last summer after just 16 appearances for the senior side.

The Netherlands u21 international had loan spells at Werder Bremen and Birmingham before signing for the latter on a permanent basis. He scored four goals in 41 appearances for the Championship side in 2022/23.

Mason Greenwood (2018/19)

Mason Greenwood scored 30 goals across various age groups for Manchester United’s youth sides in 2018/19 to be awarded the Young Player of the Season accolade.

He made his senior debut against Paris Saint-Germain that season, before bursting onto the scene in 2019/20 with 17 goals in all competitions for the first team. Greenwood overtook Wayne Rooney as Manchester United’s highest scoring teenager in the Premier League the following season and was handed a senior England debut against Iceland.

However, the 21-year-old’s career has been halted and he has not played for Manchester United for more than a year, after being arrested and later charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charges against Greenwood were discontinued in February and he is currently subject of an internal investigation as the Red Devils look to make a decision on his future.

Anthony Elanga (2019/10)

Anthony Elanga claimed the award in 2019/10 after scoring seven goals in nine appearances for the u18 side before the season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Swedish winger also featured for the u23s and has since made 55 appearances in all competitions for the senior side. The 21-year-old – who has two goals in 10 appearances for Sweden – has been linked with an exit this summer in search of more regular first-team football.

Shola Shoretire (2020/21)

Shola Shoretire spent time at the notorious Wallsend Boys Club, famous for developing England internationals including Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick among others, before progressing through Manchester United’s academy system.

The midfielder won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year Award in 2020/21 and became the youngest player to make an appearance in European competition for the club in 2021.

Shoretire spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Bolton and scored once in 16 appearances as the club reached the League One play-offs.

Alejandro Garnacho (2021/22)

Alejandro Garnacho’s goals inspired Manchester United to FA Youth Cup success in 2021/22 and saw the winger awarded the club’s Young Player of the Year Award.

Garnacho scored seven goals during the club’s cup triumph, including a brace as Nottingham Forest were beaten 3-1 in the final at Old Trafford. The teenager – who signed from Atletico Madrid in 2020 – was a key figure as the Red Devils won a record-extending 11th FA Youth Cup and first since 2011.

The Argentine has since been rewarded with a breakthrough into the first team at United and scored five goals in 34 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side in 2022/23.

Kobbie Mainoo (2022/23)

Kobbie Mainoo is the latest winner of the award after a memorable season that saw the midfielder impress at youth level and make his senior debut.

The 18-year-old made three first-team appearances after being handed his debut during the club’s 3-0 win over Charlton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. The Stockport-born starlet had formed part of the Red Devils’ FA Youth Cup-winning team in 2021/22 and has outlined his ambition to have a long career at Old Trafford.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. I have been at this club all my life and it’s all been building to tonight,” he told the club’s official website when handed his award.

“And to have my family here watching me, surrounding me, it is just amazing.

“I’ve been in training with the lads quite a few times. They all made me feel welcome and all gave me words of advice and encouragement. So I felt at home.

“To stay around it and to keep on getting more games is the ultimate goal. I want to stay at this club; I’ve been here my whole life.”

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