03 Sep 2016 20:30:32
Hi all, been a while! Could anyone shed some light on this Angel Gomes in the u18s even though he's only just about to turn 16?! Don't know much about him and haven't had much of a chance to watch the u18s. Thanks.
03 Sep 2016 22:16:35
Have watched him for a while very skilful attacking midfielder but needs to bulk up to withstand the rigours of English football.
03 Sep 2016 22:26:42
looks like the real deal he is the cousin of Nani and his dad is Gil gomes who played for salford think this kid will go along way.
03 Sep 2016 22:28:48
Great little player, had another tremendous game against Middlesbrough. there's 2 or 3 decent players in the U18's. he's wears 10, but players more like a midfielder but i think he'll end up a proper number 10. This lad has ever chance of making it.
03 Sep 2016 22:34:27
He needs to bulk up? The kid is 15!
03 Sep 2016 23:11:07
One of the coach's (can't remember who) said towards the end of last season that he was ready for the first team now. Not seen him play myself.
04 Sep 2016 02:42:08
If i was a betting man i would say he would in or close to the 1st team by the time he's 18, if he stays injury free and keeps progressing the way he is, he is a real talent and one to keep an eye on. Will be interesting to see how he fairs against a powerful City team next week.
04 Sep 2016 05:12:22
His intelligence and skill level is premier league standard. He may not be ready in stature but that doesn't mean they would even come near him for a tackle, just like Scholes he has knack for finding space and time on the ball but has all the bags of tricks and flicks to go with it! Also the way he dribbles the ball at speed is maddd, him and Indy Boonen who's kicked off this season to a great start are the ones to watch I think.
04 Sep 2016 11:48:05
This is the biggest problem with English football.
We shouldn't be concerning ourselves with "bulking" him up. What is this fasination with taking talented players and instead of focusing on maximising their talent we want to make them athletes?
He's 15 for gods sake, he will grow into his body in his own good time. Trying to force it only weakens the body long term and by 23 he will be labled "injury prone" look at Jones, Rodwell or Wilshere for example.
04 Sep 2016 15:35:09
It's very clear to most people, you shouldn't be experimenting with you're body until you've fully developed as much as you can. Now I don't wanna go too much into this, but Gomez is very young and hasn't even come close to his full development. He won't be doing any extra weight classes until he's old enough to have a pint at the very least, or maybe even 21.
04 Sep 2016 18:04:23
When I say bulk up its not that he should be a tank in physique but professional footballers need to have strength to survive a fast physical game. look at pictures of all the top players at 15 compared to when they were 23 and you will see what I mean. Perhaps the best examplr was Ronaldo when he joined us and as he is now. Physique wise chalk and cheese. It's not coincidence that he and Messi are very strong physically and have been able to play as skilfully as they do without major injuries despite always being targeted by opponents.
04 Sep 2016 20:07:19
Angel Gomes won't be 23 for 8 years. The idea that people are talking about the need for a 15 year old to bulk up is worrying but sadly not completely out of line with what happens at professional clubs. There is a blaise attitude to listening to what is right for young players from a physical perspective in this country.
One small example that could one day become a massive issue is getting youth players to head the ball. In America for example that have banned under 14's from heading a ball and that is likely to be pushed back to under 16's soon. The reason is that repeated shocks from heading a ball could be damaging to the developing brain. Yet in this country every weekend you will hear coaches up and down the country telling children as young as 6 or 7 to put their head on it.
Its not done through spite but through ignorance and a blaise attitude where people say something stupid like "it never did me any harm".
I turned down two chances to go into academies as a youngster as they spent as much time in the gym as they did training with the ball. Admittedly that was 16 years ago but sadly little progress has been made in that time.
How many of our top young players do we see who become injury prone because we push their bodies too hard too young before they're ready. Phil Jones, Jack Rodwell, Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley ect ect.
It's dangerous and until we admit our failures we will never be able to changes things for the better.
04 Sep 2016 23:14:24
Xavi Iniesta Deco and messi are all migits. Xavi was also small framed, Gomez right now is probably not far off from Xavis height and stature, and Xavi dictated games. He controlled everything, never gave away a pass, no one could get close to him. In English football, they overlook size for everything, when it should be on technical merits.
I like to think, United with the likes of Barcelona are different. Age and size are no restrictions if you're good enough.
05 Sep 2016 07:19:57
You'd like to think so Cr92, but why didn't Jesse Lingard make his debut until in his 20's, or why Larnell Cole never made his debut or Mats Moller Daehli? Or countless other disgared by our club before they reach under 18's/ 21's due to their size.
It appears in England their is a "you must be this tall to go on the ride" type sign outside the first team door.
Several things need to change, we need to take some of the physicality out of our game, as its only injuring young talented players and hinderimg them in reaching their potential. I stress some, and not all. Ultimately refs need to provide more protection to young players. There is still a cynical side to professional football where older players think its a rite of passage to try and give a lesson to the young uns. And give them a few welcome to the jungle style kicks and knocks. Its pathetic and juvinile, and it needs to stop. No doubt that thought flashed across the mind of Kevin Davies not long before he smashed into a young Tom Cleverley. Now I'm not saying that was the reason for Tom not progressing as we hoped, but the best part of a year out injured will have hardly done his development any good.
Secondly we need to change the youth set up, they are making changes and only time will tell how well or if those chnages have worked. Currently the gulf between under 23 football and professional football is far too high a jump. We need a far more competitive and more technically based league to bridge the gap between youth football and professional football.
But most importantly we need to educate and remove these old school ideas and coaches from our game.
05 Sep 2016 09:03:24
Shappy, I'm fully with you on most of what you have said. You've mentioned Dhaeli and Cole, 2 players I had high hopes for at this club. I honestly thought Dhaeli was the next best thing and I still think he could make it. Larnell Cole on the other hand, as great as he was for the u21s, wasn't ready by any means for 1st team football, United simply couldn't see him transitioning into the squad. Dhaeli on the other hand left us. He didn't want to try and fight for a United career, we never wanted to get rid of him. Things where said, as of how home sick he was. Lingard was undoubtedly not even ready at 20 :/ . And tbh Lingard went out on loan to prove himself all them times and gain experience. that's what helped him settle into the squad, not because let's send him out on loan and hope he grows by the time he's 24. He's only just started to work on his physical side. He has grown in height but his stature is still small. Rafael and Fabio, both tiny when they came over but when SAF wanted to play them, there size or age never came into it. They came straight from Brazil and into the 1st team squad. And the best one of all. The man himself, my favourite all time player and probably many others too, Scholes! He just proves, if you're good enough, age or size doesn't matter. No matter how much they can emphasise size and stature in the game over here, technical players will make it. Also Fabregas started at Arsenal, not the biggest but for he broke into the team, training with the likes of Campbell Van Bronkhorst Viera Ljungberg and so on. Fabregas was amazing at drifting around the pitching and slotting in them deft passes.
05 Sep 2016 10:31:02
Bringing up Scholes as proof young players get their chance regardless of size is a bit of a moot point. One because he has retired now, his debut was 20 years ago, also he was part of the same youth team as Giggs and Butt. Both Giggs and Butt made their debuts as 17 year olds, yet the more talented Scholes didn't make his first team debute until he was 20.
Why, because he wasn't deemed physically ready at 17 inspite of his superior skill.
Fabregas was given the oppotunity at a different club, as a side note at one point he looked like he was going to be labelled as injury prone. Too much gym time too young? Possibly.
Unfortunately its a mind set that comes straight out of our culture which is why it will be so hard to change. Richard Scudamore has changed the youth set up in this country 12 times in 16 years. This proves two things, first that there is a problem, and secondly that Scudamore doesn't know how/ have the resources to fix.
06 Sep 2016 17:07:02
Looked like a great talent Moller Daehli, too bad he has missed way over a year with a jumpers knee. He is just getting back to form now and will play u21 vs England soon. great for him to be back playing again, hope he is done with his injury problems now.