As Arsenal travel to Old Trafford this weekend I thought we’d look at young gems. Both Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have nurtured youngsters from raw talent through to world class players. The reason they’ve been so successful? Both have been given control and time by their respective boards, allowing the managers to build for the future.
The problem now in England is that managers last about 12 months, so the demand for immediate success means they can’t think about young players and long term planning. When you look Manchester United and Arsenal, players have developed over time and they’ve established themselves because the manager has had control and patience.
The clubs support long term development of players. They are shining examples that stability and consistency can work – would Aaron Ramsey’s career at Arsenal have lived through a managerial change? Maybe not.
In this column I’ve looked at three players making a name for themselves this season in the Barclays Premier League; Adnan Januzaj, Ravel Morrison and Ross Barkley.
Adnan Januzaj’s great qualities are firstly his balance, which is absolutely fantastic when he’s moving with the ball and dropping his shoulder one way to go the other, and secondly his effortlessness. He has the ability to drift past people as if they’re not there when he attacks the defender’s back foot.
I’ve played at United and you’re very conscious of adding too much pressure to young players. However, I genuinely think this guy could be one of the best in the world.
Gary Neville was speaking in his fortnightly column for EA SPORTS FIFA 14 Ultimate Team. Read the full column at http://bit.ly/1aHaUSX
