Teden Mengi will be the next youth player to make the first team, says Neil Wood

Manchester United’s teenage defender, Teden Mengi could be the next academy start to find himself in the first team, according to U23 coach Neil Wood. It has been said that Mengi could replicate the same rise to the first team ad Brandon Williams did earlier this season, taking the chance he was given, earning the plaudits.

Williams, 19, enjoyed a breakthrough season in the first team, making 26 appearances so far this season, scoring one goal and assisting two. The fullback rivalled Luke Shaw for the left-back position at the club, which brought out the best of both players, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer happily looking on at the level of competition for that position.

Mengi celebrated his 18th birthday at the end of last month and signed his first professional contract of his career back in September 2019. The player has had a great 2019/20 season before the coronavirus pandemic suspended all football, which cancelled youth football. He has captained the U18s to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals, also played for the U23s.

Mengi made his debut for the U18s during the 2017/18 season making three appearances. The following season (2018/19) saw him make 21 appearances, assisting four goals that season. During the current season, at U18 level, he’s made eight starts, assisting two goals. At U23 level, made 18 appearances, assisting one goal.

Mengi even travelled with United’s first team for the UEFA Europa League clash with Astana in Kazakhstan back in November, not actually getting off the bench though. Wood feels that Mengi’s first team debut is not that far away. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the U23 coach talked about the player, saying:

“Teden [Mengi] has been fantastic. He came up to us quite early on in the season and, a bit like Brandon [Williams] in a sense, he came from the U18s and took his chance.

“He played really well and he kept his place in the team. And when he dropped back down at the end of the season to lead the Youth Cup team, he put in some excellent performances there.

“We’ll be looking to work with him next season and he’s one [player] we want to ‘do a Brandon’ with, push him on and the goal is to try and get him pushed up into that first team if we can.”

During the current season, Williams, Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong have all made an impact at first team level with the latter needing to do a bit more to make himself a regular in the team. A loan spell out of the club this season could be good for Chong, especially if Solskjaer brings in a player like Jadon Sancho, who will play most matches.

Solskjaer seems to be keen to give homegrown prospects a chance at first team level, doing this with Williams, and Greenwood, plus Chong, who would not be considered as a homegrown player. Mengi though, is homegrown, born in Manchester and United through and through. Solskjaer, if Mengi gets his attention, would give him a chance.

It would be good to see a player like Mengi make it into the first team, especially at his age. There is a chance that he could be given a chance during the remainder of the season, especially if the FA Youth Cup is still going to be played this season as he will need to be match fit. I will look forward to the day we see Mengi reach the first team and beyond.

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I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.