Manchester United are going from strength to strength under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - whilst also keeping one eye on the future.
The Red Devils have invested heavily in academy talent in recent years, with much of their business done under the watchful eye of new football director John Murtough.
There are high hopes for several talents in United’s esteemed academy, which has seen Shola Shoretire become the latest to make a first-team breakthrough in recent weeks.
Two of the top prospects, Hannibal Mejbri and Anthony Elanga, have this week been secured by the club by penning new “long-term” contracts.
And there is plenty of reason for fans to be excited about the pair, who could be the next duo primed to make a first-team impact.
United have been craving an out-and-out right winger, and Elanga could be an answer after some impressive performances for the Under-23s.
The 18-year-old won the Jimmy Murphy Youth Team Player of the Year award last season and caught the eye of Gary Neville in a 6-0 EFL Trophy win over Salford City.
Neville, watching on as co-commentator on Salford’s website, branded Elanga a “nightmare to play against” and compared him to Thierry Henry after an impressive goal.
The goal came after link-up with Mejbri, who is turning heads even more.
Mejbri, who signed from Monaco in 2019 in a deal worth up to £9.3million, has regularly played a year above himself.
Shortly after he signed, a source told The Athletic the extent to which he was showcasing his skills in training.
“He actually takes the "p***" sometimes against players a couple of years older than him," said a club source. "He’ll feint to strike then drag it and shoot the other way.”
Mejbri recently suffered an injury which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted will delay his first-team promotion.
"Hannibal is injured," Solskjaer said. ”Unfortunately, he got injured in the reserves so he'll be out for a month.
"So he was just coming into our squad and, unfortunately for him, he is out."
Solskjaer confirmed in February that Hannibal, along with Shoretire, had been promoted to the first-team.
"The young kids, we've moved Shola up with us, Hannibal will join us and we'll keep them with us for a while," said Solskjaer.
"It's the next step in their development, we've got to take the hit that when they play for the reserves they have to travel by themselves. It's a nice step for them, they've done really well.”
Like Elanga, he has now committed his future to Manchester United with high hopes they will have bright futures in Solskjaer’s squad.
