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Manchester United’s young stars compared to Justice League characters

By on July 29, 2015

English winger Ashely Young is not the only ‘young’ player at Manchester United, with many other younger squad members impressing in United’s preseason tour of the United States. Young is now 30 years old, so harboring a name like that is becoming increasingly ironic as he starts to take on a father figure character to the true youth of the club. In fact, only one year remains on Young’s current contract at Old Trafford, having joined from Aston Villa in 2011. And while Louis van Gaal has given a few of the young Devils opportunities during their preseason, the batch particularly shining in United’s second half against Barcelona, as well as multiple new signings, Young retains a place in the team.

“You can expect things from Ashley Young. He had a fantastic season. But he is not a Neymar and we have to compete with that kind of class,” Van Gaal summarized in a press conference with English journalists in San Jose.

Which brings us onto the point of this piece. Some of these younger players getting a run could be compared to the DC comic book characters in the Justice League, as they are also looking for Young Justice by becoming a starter in the main “league,” the Premier League. These youngsters will be looking up to the likes of captain Wayne Rooney, who could be compared to Batman, if there’s any point; of course there is. Many United fans will feel it is an injustice if they go another season without silverware and the invasion of young starlets and new signings might just take United to glory next season:

Adnan Januzaj/Robin

He’s hardly a new name at United after carrying United’s attack through the 2013/2014 season, but the 20-year-old Belgian has not built on his form under David Moyes. The Belgian lost his starting position when Van Gaal took over but has impressed in preseason.

Januzaj scored against Barcelona United’s 3-1 victory on their pre-season tour in America. It may be only a friendly, but to score a quality goal against the UEFA Champions League winners is going to build confidence for any young player.

When asked by Football Every Day which of the eleven second-half substitutes impressed Van Gaal the most, the Dutch manager jumped into his answer. “I think that Adnan Januzaj was very good because he always gives an option for his midfielders and defenders,” Van Gaal said. “He scored a wonderful goal and I think that is always important. He had to fight with two defenders and he did well. But it was more easy for him against the defense without [Gerard] Pique.”

Like the boy-wonder Robin being upgraded to Knight-Wing, the winger will look for more playing opportunities this season , especially with Angel Di Maria expected to leave for French club Paris St-Germain. Ironically, United are set to face the French champions in their final warm-up game. If Januzaj does not regain his starting position, there will be a lot of other clubs waiting to take him on loan or even sign him on a permanent basis. But United will be wary to let him go and lose out on his potential, the case of Paul Pogba serving as a warning.

Luke Shaw/Kid-Flash

Shaw is another 20-year-old whom Van Gaal has been talking up in recent interviews, but who has added pressure due to the £27 million price tag he signed with United on last season. Shaw is from Kingston in South-West London and was produced by Southampton’s academy.

In 2014, he was criticized by Van Gaal for a lack of fitness, but this summer Shaw seems to have regained the bombing nature which saw him dominate the wings at St Mary’s. A potential solution to fill the gap that Partice Evra left in United’s lineup, Van Gaal was full of praise for Shaw in an interview upon arrival in Chicago, where United were defeated 2-0 by PSG.

“Shaw is a big talent,” Van Gaal said per The Guardian. “He’s very young so it’s not so easy for him to come from Southampton to as big a club as Manchester United. I think that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw, that I believe. I believe in him and he has to feel that and I hope he shall show it. But he’s 20 years old. How many players of that age are playing in the Premier League?”

Jesse Lingard/Aqua-Lad

Lingard United’s 2014/2015 season opener against Swansea City at Old Trafford, but picked up a disappointing injury set-back. It was his first and last United league start to date. It is a stretch to see him breaking into United’s starting eleven this coming season, although the attacking midfielder has enjoyed successful loan spells at Championship clubs Birmingham, Brighton and Derby, while also scoring for England’s Under-21s in the European Championship this summer. The 22-year-old has had a productive preseason this year, grabbing a goal against Spanish team Barcelona and putting on an energetic display when playing the San Jose Earthquakes. Aqua-Lad may have a way with water, but Lingard won’t want his chance to become a regular at the Red Devils evaporate.

Andreas Pereira/Super-Boy

The 19-year-old Brazilian has caught the eye whilst on tour in the US and still a teenager, is only likely to improve. The Belgium born midfielder scored against Earthquakes, a goal that Van Gaal said was the lone highlight of the second half. United will surely look to keep him at the club but while Pereira is determined to make an impact, their midfield looks fairly congested already. Pereira most likely will look to the League Cup for a chance to prove himself. Super-Boy doesn’t age, which would be a good trick for youthful Pereira to retain his market value.

Sam Johnstone/Speedy

In Justice League, the character Speedy eventually becomes Arsenal, but I don’t see Sam Johnstone joining Arsenal any time soon, although he would be a potential long-term fix to Arsenal’s goalkeeping troubles. The 22-year-old goalkeeper has featured heavily in preseason due to an injury to David de Gea and Victor Valdes’ saga, but may now choose to look for playing time elsewhere with the arrival of new number two Sergio Romero on a free transfer from Sampdoria. The 28-year-old Argentine pushes the young keeper back down the pecking order in Manchester, with Johnstone linked with a loan move to Preston. David De Gea increasingly looks as if he will be kept for the last year of his contract before leaving on a free, with Real Madrid waiting in the wings, ready to fire their arrow in the direction of the 24-year-old Spaniard.
Johnstone played well in friendlies, but he is probably not ready to be a regular starter at such a big club as Manchester United. A speedy return to Preston will likely happen in this summer transfer window, although he has nipped ahead of Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard in the pecking order. If De Gea does leave this summer, however, the situation would entirely change.

James Wilson/Artemis

Both Wilson and Artemis know where the target is and have blonde hair and moreover, need to find top form to prove that their early potential was no fluke. When Ryan Giggs gave James Wilson his debut against Hull City in May, 2014, and he scored a brace in the 3-1 win, big things were expected of the young, English striker. The 19-year-old did manage to get a league goal under Van Gaal in 2014/2015, with the Staffordshire born striker scoring against Queens Park Rangers, while also bagging a strike in an FA Cup replay against Cambridge United.

Wilson may get more opportunities to shine this term, with Falcao and Robin van Persie off United’s books. At the moment , Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez are currently Wilson’s only fellow forwards at Old Trafford, if the ‘surprise’ striker Van Gaal hinted at does not arrive, Wilson could be the main back-up option to lead the line. Indeed, Van Gaal cared enough about United’s young forward to convince Wilson to change his shirt number last season from forty-seven to forty-nine, as he believes centre-forwards should have a ‘9’ in their jersey number. Ironically, the sister of Artemis in the TV series Young Justice was called Cheshire, the expensive area just outside the city of Manchester, where most United stars live.

Photo credit: Matt Janzer, via Flickr

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.