There have been reports of Meino touting Meino since the start of this year's pre-season, and this one in the English newspaper The Guardian is perhaps more realistic, discussing Meino's best position and his future in United's first-team squad. The approximate situation is:
Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have been some of the leading figures in United's academy over the past decade, helping the club maintain the club's record of having academy graduates in every first-team team since 1937, but it has been rare for homegrown players to progress through the system, with everyone enjoying brief appearances and struggling to become elite first-team players.
That could change with Kobe Mayno, who was a key member of United's FA Youth Cup triumph in 2022, played alongside Dan Gore in midfield. He was so old and composed in front of 67,000 fans in the FA Youth Cup final that he helped United seal the trophy, which is enough to show that he is a man of the big scene.
Ten Hag assessed the club's Academy players after taking charge of the club last year, with Meno one one among the first to be confirmed, having started training with the first team in October last year, and was on the bench against Newcastle in October, before making his senior appearances for the Reds in January. If it weren't for the pre-season injury, Meno would have played more minutes this season, and in his press conference this season, Ten Hag named Mayno as a key injury and missing man, while the midfield has always been something Ten Hag wants to improve.
Al Gore is also a homegrown Academy player for Manchester United, although Ten Hag is now more bullish on Hannibal. Meno has played a number six, eight and number 10 roles at all levels of the United's academy and has taken on a more attacking role in youth midfield, although he has been positioned in a deep midfield, using his composure to stop opposition attacks and keep possession simple. Manchester United believe that Meno is positioned as a defensive midfielder in the short to medium term, as his technique, composure and game awareness are already at a relatively high level. ”
Since Paul Scholes and Bart retired from the England national team, Manchester United's youth system has not produced suitable academy players, and the occasional entry into the England national team is also a flash in the pan. Meno is one of United's more worthy homegrown academy graduates, and his current positioning is actually closer to Frenkie de Jong of the Ajax era, although he is very young now, he is only 18 years old, and he needs a lot of games to develop in order to produce results. Manchester United legends are also cooling down for Meno, saying that he will definitely make mistakes and ups and downs in future games, and hope everyone will be patient.