Erik ten Hag is carrying on Manchester United’s history of giving young players a chance this season.

Alejandro Garnacho, who is 19 years old, scored another brace in the Red Devils’ 3-0 victory over West Ham last weekend.

After starting each of the previous four games, Kobbie Mainoo is the most recent graduate from Carrington to flourish in the first team. But who might be up next?

Future Man Utd partner for Mainoo

Since entering the club in 2021, a certain Daniel Gore has grown into one of the United Academy’s most promising players, and he has had tremendous success during his tenure.

Alongside Garnacho and Mainoo, Gore shone during Man Utd’s FA Cup Youth victory at the age of 17. Ten Hag gave the midfielder a lot of chances during the preseason, and he even contributed an assist against Lyon.

Manchester United’s Daniel Gore, Sofian Amrabat
A week later, in a young United team playing Wrexham, Ten Hag gave the 5’7″ jewel the captain’s armband. But, it all ended in tears when Gore was sent off shortly after the half.

Since then, the now-19-year-old has appeared in games against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa as a substitute, making both his competitive debut for the first team and his Premier League debut.

In order to get experience in the men’s game, the young player just signed a loan with Port Vale, where he made one start in a 1-0 loss to Portsmouth at the end of January.

The future midfield for Man Utd

This season, Mainoo has made a name for himself on the team sheet, and it appears that United has a midfield master who will be a dominant force for years to come.

Hagen, Gore, FA, Youth Cup Man, United Ten
But what would thrill United supporters even more is that Gore might end up becoming Mainoo’s long-term partner. The two have already engaged in a great deal of youth setup competition action, with Gore praising number 37:

In addition to being a great athlete, Kobbie is a nice guy. We get along nicely with one another. The other will step in if the first is not available. We get along well and are quite familiar with one another.”

However, the table below gives us an idea of his style of play based on his performance against Crystal Palace earlier in the season, which earned analyst StatmanDave’s designation of “excellent.”

Crystal Palace v. Gore

Statistics

Gore

Minutes

29

Feels

33

Passes (accuracy of passes)

25/27 (93%).

Pass keys

1.

Lost possession

5.

Statistics sourced from Sofascore

Gore is an extremely technical player who can move easily throughout the midfield, as seen. With his skill with the ball, he would be ideal beside Mainoo, and since the two already share a telepathic bond, he would fit right in with the first team.

His poise and maturity on the ball, even at such a young age, are remarkable, as is his excellent game reading. Nevertheless, Gore appears to play with greater aggression than Mainoo, who is incredibly calm; his brawl during preparation for a challenge against Anthony Martial serves as evidence of this.

Gore’s attributes include his little size, extraordinary technical skill, advancement through the academy, and the intelligence to always be one step ahead of the competition—but one particular United Legend could recognise that description.

Gore might follow in the footsteps of Paul Scholes, who played 718 games for the Red Devils and won 11 Premier League championships while at Old Trafford.

Paul, Scholes, Wayne, and Rooney
The redheaded midfielder was famously described by Sir Bobby Charlton as “always on the ball, always turning on goal.” He constantly seeks to involve others in the event, so you assume he’s sick if he loses control.”

Gore has a lot to live up to, but if and when he receives more consistent first-team playing time, his qualities make him a solid choice.