Former Manchester United scout Piotr Sadowski has blasted the Red Devils for letting some top talents leave the club in recent years. The Red Devils have a proud history when it comes to developing young players and bringing them into the first team at Old Trafford, but Sadowski says some bad mistakes have been made and highlighted one player in particular who has been allowed to leave for a small fee.
The one that got away?
Manchester United waved goodbye to Alvaro Carreras in 2024, allowing the talented young left-back to join Benfica on a permanent deal after he seemingly failed to make the grade at Old Trafford. Fast forward a year, and Carreras has just been snapped up by La Liga giants Real Madrid for €50m (£43m/$58m) on a six-year deal. Manchester United have pocketed a significant chunk of the transfer fee but have been told they have made a "huge mistake" by selling the defender.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportCarreras departure a 'huge mistake' by Man Utd
Former United scout Sadowski told "He came to Manchester United when he was probably 16 (in 2020). A very hard-working and ambitious boy, he learned the language quickly – I know because I met him personally. Initially, his career path was quite good. He was loaned to Preston, received good reviews, and (then) United gave up on him, selling him to Benfica for a small fee.
"Carreras is a truly top-class player. There's a good chance he'll become the best, or one of the best, left-backs in the world. He scored a beautiful goal recently against Valencia in La Liga. It was a huge mistake for United to let him go. Something is missing here and I think that something is United's lack of courage in investing in young players."
Amorim prefers 'ready-made players'
Kobbie Mainoo could be the next academy player to depart, with the midfielder out of favour under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and linked with an exit. Amorim has already brought in a host of players, such as Patrick Dorgu, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and Sadowski feels the United boss is not willing to trust in youth yet.
"Honestly, having recently worked at Blackburn Rovers and operating on a much lower transfer budget, I would have had no problem finding a few players of Dorgu's level for United, but for £25m, you could get four," he added.
"Now, United are wary of bringing in youngsters. Amorim was supposed to be the one to do this, but the results haven't been right, so he prefers to buy ready-made players."
Getty ImagesMan Utd's unbeaten run to continue?
Amorim has endured a difficult time at Manchester United so far but is currently on a five-match unbeaten run with the Red Devils. He'll be aiming to continue that form after the international break when domestic action resumes. The Red Devils return to action on Monday, November 24 at home to Everton.