Manchester United insiders are adamant manager Louis van Gaal will not ignore their young players. Their mega spending and the departures of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley has led to criticism of the club's culture being torn apart.
Sir Alex Ferguson's former No 2 Mike Phelan claimed: "Danny Welbeck has been part of United's identity and that has been broken." But the Daily Mail says United insist youngsters like Tyler Blackett, Reece James, James Wilson and Sam Johnstone will be part of their first-team squad this season, with Jesse Lingard joining them when he returns from a leg injury sustained on the opening day.
United have a proud record of having at least one home-grown player in every first-team squad since 1937 and are determined that will not be broken under Van Gaal, who earned a reputation at Ajax and Barcelona for giving young players their chance, including Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert and Andres Iniesta.
Senior sources at United say despite their £190million spending spree in 2014, their strategy - sanctioned by Van Gaal - is to build a team of the best players in the world and youngsters who have come through United's system.
