Manchester United U21s cruised to a comfortable 1-4 win over their Reading counterparts at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Friday.
Here are our player ratings for the match. Read the detailed match report of all the action here.
(A score of 6 is around average)
Elyh Harrison – 7.5 – A top performance in goal with an exceptional save in the dying moments to deny an effort that looked destined for the top corner. As ever, he was very impressive with his feet as he was with his hands, setting off a number of attacks with his passing.
Habeeb Ogunneye – 6 – Did well charging up field on the right flank before having to go off early due to injury in the first half.
Louis Jackson – 5.5 – A rather ropey performance upon his return from his loan spell at Tranmere Rovers where he is yet to make an appearance. The rustiness showed as he rushed his clearances, often opting for a long ball out of danger rather than a more composed pass. One of those long clearances worked out early on though as Mather scored from the Reading keeper’s blunder.
Tyler Fredricson – 7 – The more composed of the centre-backs, he was much more comfortable feeding the ball into the midfielders under pressure. Defensively he was very good, mopping up every ball into the box but got unlucky with a deflection for Reading’s goal.
Sam Murray – 6.5 – A reliable 90 minutes, he barely put a foot wrong whether it was on the left or on the right. Was composed in possession but often kept it simple.
Sekou Kone – 7 – Started the match with a bone crunching tackle which set the tone for his performance where he did the dirty stuff very well. He broke up the play and regained possession at the base of midfield and let the others run the attack.
Tyler Fletcher – 6.5 – Was particularly impressive when he broke out into space from midfield but was happy to keep it simple more often than not.
James Scanlon – 6 – Got his goal in the end but didn’t look all that comfortable on the right wing and looked to pass it backwards too often. Moved inside later on in the match where he improved and scored with a deflected effort.
Tommy Rowe – 7 – A proper player-coach performance. Filling in as a number 10, he later moved to left back and performed well in both roles. Keeping it simple he allowed the younger players to take control while also always offering an option including a very tasty flick in the build-up to the third goal.
Sam Mather – 7.5 – Another player returning from a disappointing Tranmere Rovers loan, he finished the match with a goal and two assists. Despite struggling to get the better of his marker one on one, he still came up with moments to get the job done. His pressing earned him his goal before good creativity and passing choices secured him his two assists.
Gabriele Biancheri – 7.5 – Two more goals means he now has 24 for the season, he just can’t stop scoring. His first goal was an exceptional finish on the run to find the far corner before an easy finish for his second made by his positioning in the box. Beyond his goals he worked tirelessly while pressing from the front.
Substitutes
Bendito Mantato – 6.5 – Made an immediate impact off the bench, winning the ball and playing out to launch the counter attack for Biancheri’s first goal. Offered directness and speed on the wing which Mather and Scanlon didn’t before his introduction but didn’t have the end product often enough on the night.
Reece Munro – 6 – Slotted into the back and did well.
Noah Ajayi – N/A – An U21s debut before even featuring for the U18s was a special moment for Ajayi in the final moments of the match. Did really well to shift past his marker on the wing on one occasion but couldn’t find a teammate in the box with the delivery.
Amir Ibragimov – N/A – Not on the pitch for long but got stuck in with one good slide tackle.
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Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
