Manchester United are preparing for a first pre-season friendly of 2024 which takes place against Rosenborg.
Manchester United have named a 25-man squad for the fixture with Rosenborg, which is heavily loaded with academy players.
Those involved at the Copa America and Euro 2024 are not yet back. And there are a handful of players who have not travelled due to being behind to work on their fitness.
Three of those are wingers, Amad, Antony, and Jadon Sancho, who returned to the Manchester United squad last Friday.
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Opportunity for young Manchester United wingers
With no Facundo Pellistri or Alejandro Garnacho either, Monday’s friendly with Rosenborg presents an excellent chance for some of the academy players in the squad.
Young forwards Ethan Ennis and Ethan Williams will both hope for some action. They have both had promising moments for the under-18s over the past couple of seasons
But the one who could get a surprise starting role, similar to Omari Forson last pre-season, is winger Sam Mather.
Mather was part of Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup winning starting line-up alongside Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo in 2022.
Sam Mather primed to take chance
While Garnacho and Mainoo have progressed at a rapid rate, it has not quite gone Mather’s way since.
Mather, 19, has had to contend with injuries since Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup win, but has shown his quality in flashes.
The teenager is a creative player with an eye for goal, and he demonstrated this earlier in 2024 by scoring all four goals in an under-21 win over Norwich.
In the game at Old Trafford, Mather scored one of his four goals as a direct free-kick into the top corner.
Mather was subsequently loaned out to non-league side Rochdale for his first loan opportunity, where he managed to score two goals.
Mather recently signed up to the same agency as Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
The England under-19s international has the talent to make an impact, and it is intriguing how a potential opportunity has opened up for him against Rosenborg.
Mather has scored 19 goals and provided 17 assists for Manchester United’s academy teams over the past three seasons.
Big pre-season performances don’t always translate into first team chances, just ask Tahith Chong, Zidane Iqbal and Noam Emeran. But all Mather can do is take the opportunity ahead of him, and hope it can lead to more.