Manchester United’s comfortable 3-0 win over relegation strugglers, Leicester City, marked yet another proud day for the Red Devils’ academy, with 18-year-old full-back, Harry Amass, making his senior debut off the bench in the second half.
Tipped to be “Luke Shaw’s successor” by journalist Alex Turk, the promising teenager was handed a long overdue first-team bow on his birthday no less, with manager Ruben Amorim going on to state that he has “so much fun” in handing opportunities to the club’s young talents.
The Portuguese coach – who also handed a debut to Chido Obi against Tottenham Hotspur last month – has followed on from Erik ten Hag in looking internally to find first-team solutions, with the Dutchman having been central to the rise of FA Cup final heroes, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
As Amorim showcased against Spurs – in which Obi was the only youngster introduced off the bench – he isn’t one to hand out chances willy-nilly, following on from Ten Hag’s mantra of academy stars needing to “deserve” a place in the side, rather than simply be gifted one.
At a time when the cash-strapped outfit may be wary of making costly mistakes in the transfer market, it may be wise for Amorim to continue looking to the youth ranks – not least to find a perfect successor to an ageing Christian Eriksen.
Christian Eriksen's future at Manchester United
Sunday’s win at the King Power marked Eriksen’s 99th game for United in all competitions since signing on a free transfer from Brentford back in the summer of 2022 – just a year on from having suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
For the experienced Dane to have even been able to play again at all after that horrific ordeal is a testament to his courage and resilience, having proven a particularly astute pick-up for the Red Devils.
Indeed, during Ten Hag’s first campaign, in particular, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was masterful in those opening few months alongside Casemiro, with club legend Paul Scholes highlighting the playmaker’s “intelligence” in that deep-lying role.
Sadly, an injury sustained against Reading in January 2023, following a tackle from Andy Carroll, halted that fine early form, with Eriksen having been forced to endure a far more peripheral role since then.
A return of 24 goals and assists for the club to date is no mean feat, although Eriksen has only started 17 games in 2024/25 to date, chipping in with eight goal involvements in all.
The £150k-per-week asset came agonisingly close to adding to that tally last time out, only to see his whipped effort strike the woodwork, albeit with it having been a largely difficult night for the Dane in that advanced number ten berth.
With the veteran talent out of contract this summer, it looks almost a certainty that he will be moving on to pastures new, with Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up demanding a potentially more mobile and dynamic option, despite Eriksen remaining a classy operator.
69 minutes
43 touches
72% pass accuracy
2 shots off target
3 key passes
0 successful dribbles
0 duels won
14x possession lost
2/5 crosses completed
2/2 long balls completed
As such, it could be a case of out with the old and in with the new, with academy sensation Jack Moorhouse potentially deserving of a chance to stake his claim as Eriksen’s successor.
Man Utd's next academy sensation
The 19-year-old is perhaps not a name familiar to too many of a United persuasion, with the teenager still waiting to make his first-team bow, albeit while making the matchday squad, alongside Obi, against Spurs and Arsenal in recent months.
In The Pipeline
The Republic of Ireland U21 international has had to bide his time for senior involvement, although he appears to have caught the eye of the new management team, with the Daily Mail’s Nathan Salt stating that Amorim has been left “particularly impressed” with the youngster’s ability as a “ball carrier”.
That follows previous comparisons to Aston Villa’s newest superstar, Morgan Rogers, with young Moorhouse appearing to possess that ability to drive and weave his way forward to then attack the opposition penalty area.
As per Transfermarkt, the Manchester-born starlet has scored three times in just nine U21 games for the Red Devils, having typically operated as an attacking midfielder or on the left flank, thus making him ideal for the role that Eriksen took up against the Foxes.
Moorhouse has endured his own fair share of injury woe of late after only returning from a 431-day absence back in December, although now fit and firing again, he could force his way into Amorim’s plans before the season is out.
Indeed, broadcaster Nathan Murphy has claimed the teen dynamo is “highly rated” by those at Carrington, as evidenced by his recent promotion, with it set to be no surprise if he does follow Amass and Obi in making his debut in the near future.
Eriksen, it must be said, has been a solid servant to United over the past three years or so, yet now could be the perfect time for a changing of the guard.
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1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 17, 2025