Manchester United may be surrounded by a lot of negativity this season, not least on social media, but there’s some good aspects of the club’s campaign which are getting attention overseas.
Marca, and they’re not the first, have a feature today on what they call the ‘Teatro de los Niños’
Playing on the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the Spanish newspaper say Old Trafford is now ‘The Theatre of Kids’, and ‘boasts the youngest eleven’ of the Premier League.
Having tried different approaches since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, Marca believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a ‘youth to power’ approach, trusting young players to help him get Manchester United back to the top.
That, combined with continual spending, can get the club get back to challenging ‘in the not too distant future’.
Marca pick out four players who have impressed them, and present them for a Spanish audience, along with a nickname for each.
Marcus Rashford is ‘The Commander’, and at 22 years of age he’s considered the leader of the ‘Solski Babes’.
Then there’s Mason Greenwood, ‘El Diamante’.
Just 18 years of age, ‘The Diamond’ is presented as the ‘jewel of the quarry’. In Spain a youth system is called a quarry, like a mine where clubs go to get their own players.
Brandon Williams is dubbed ‘The Emergence’, because for many football followers he’s come from nowhere. Marca say the 19 year old has brought ‘fresh air’ to Manchester United’s left-back position and ‘little by little’ is taking Luke Shaw’s place.
Last up is Scott McTominay, ‘The Reborn’. The Spanish newspaper believe that until he was injured, the 23 year old was changing his status from a player not considered good enough to one considered important for the team.
Other youngsters get small mentions too, and it’s pointed out that these players don’t have to come through the club’s academy, with Daniel James given as an example of someone brought in from elsewhere for the future.
Marca end by saying: ‘El DNI no importa en El Teatro de los Niños’ – ‘The DNA doesn’t matter at the ‘Theatre of Kids’
