One Manchester United academy star had a great Friday as he scored for England U16s during a win over Italy.
This season we’ve seen the Manchester United academy return to its glory, something that has lacked in recent years.
Nick Cox and Erik ten Hag have been ruthless, letting those who aren’t good enough go, which in turn has allowed others to thrive.
Now, we’re in a position where countless prospects are coming through, with the path to the first team as clear as ever.
On Friday, the special nature of the academy was shown on an international stage, with one player scoring for England U16s.
Here’s what happened.
Amir Ibragimov scores for England U16s
On Friday night, 16-year-old Amir Ibragimov scored the winner for England as they overcame Italy 2-1, with the teenager confirming this on his Instagram story.
Ibragimov is one of the most exciting prospects currently in the ranks at Carrington and just proved it again for his country.
He will have impressed the head of academy recruitment Luke Fedorenko in doing so as he watched the game.
Ibragimov wasn’t the only United player to feature though, with Bendito Mantato also playing, in an unfamiliar left-back role.
Ibragimov is as good as they come for Manchester United
For as good as the academy is, they don’t come much better than Ibragimov.
The Dagestan-born, Manchester United-made forward is right up there alongside Shea Lacey and Harry Amass as the most obvious talents to be next in the first team.
With the success of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho so far in Ten Hag’s reign, we can imagine that Ibragimov won’t be more than a year or two off seriously knocking on the door.
We cannot wait to see how his career continues to progress, as he’s as exciting a talent as you’ll find anywhere in the world.