While Manchester United have lurched from one crisis to another, their youth teams have remained in rude health. The young Red Devils swept to a double of the under-18 Premier League North title and Premier League Cup last season while playing scintillating football and recording remarkable results, such as destroying Liverpool 9-1.

James Scanlon was one of the emerging stars in that team, netting twice in the demolition of United’s greatest rivals, and his reward was to join the senior team on their pre-season tour of the United States. He was no stranger to playing with the big boys, though, as he was already a full international with Gibraltar.

The attacking midfielder has since made history with his country and has used his senior experience to his advantage at club level, making a clinical start to this season with the under-18s, scoring nine goals in just seven league games.

So, when Ruben Amorim begins work at United next week and starts to assess the youth players he could bring into the first team, Scanlon will stand out above all the other young hopefuls…

Where it all began

Scanlon grew up in the Midlands and took his first steps towards becoming a professional with the academy of Derby County, at the same time that Wayne Rooney was in charge of the Rams.

Scanlon was blessed with athletic genes as his mother Gabriella Falero is a former sprinter. She was part of a relay team that still holds the national record for the 4x100m set in 1995 – 11 years before she gave birth to Scanlon.

There is a possibility that Scanlon could form part of a dynasty for club and country as his younger brother Luca, 15, is also in United’s youth system and is an under-17 international for Gibraltar.

Scanlon enrolled in the United academy in 2023 and signed his first professional contract in 2024, just before heading out on tour with Erik ten Hag’s senior team.

The big break

Scanlon made headlines in March when, still aged 17, he made his senior international debut for Gibraltar against Lithuania, coming off the bench in a 1-0 defeat in a Nations League relegation play-off defeat. It made him the youngest United player to make an international debut since legendary forward Norman Whiteside turned out for Northern Ireland at the 1982 World Cup.

He got more appearances in friendlies against Scotland, Wales and Andorra, but he really made his mark in his first competitive start at home to Liechtenstein in the Nations League. He struck what looked certain to be the winning goal when he netted with a close-range header in the 97th minute. Liechtenstein ended up levelling with a penalty in the 114th minute but Scanlon had already etched his name into his country’s history, becoming their youngest ever goalscorer.

⁠”The Academy are really pleased with what he’s achieved at international level, it’s naturally seen as great for his development to get these opportunities,” a United source said.

“Gibraltar have been great with us and him, really supportive and giving him a measured introduction to life as a senior international.”

How it’s going

The international experience has clearly helped Scanlon’s development as he has made an imposing start to the season. He has already beaten his goal tally of eight from last season, with two games in particular standing out.

He struck four times in the 9-0 mauling of Blackburn on his 18th birthday and got a hat-trick in the recent 8-0 pounding of Leeds. He is the top scorer at United and the second leading marksman in the league. He has also been impressing in Europe, netting in both legs of United’s 11-2 aggregate thrashing of Lithuanian side Zalgiris.

Biggest strengths

Scanlon’s prolific goal record stands out above anything else and yet he is a remarkably versatile player. He plays on the left of the attack in Adam Lawrence’s 4-2-3-1 formation for United’s under-18 side, although he is far from being a traditional winger. He is adept with both feet – against Blackburn, he scored twice with his left and twice with his right – and loves to come inside and create patterns of play.

“I just want to keep progressing in every area of my game,” he told the Gibraltan FA. “When I play above my age, I try to have a big impact on whichever team I play. I try to be a creative player but I also want to bring goals, assists, help the team attack, create and score goals.”

Room for improvement

Scanlon is described as a “polite and quiet” boy. These are positive traits that will prevent him from getting too big for his boots. But he also needs to develop a personality on the pitch if he is to make the step up to the first team.

The unrelenting scrutiny that comes with playing for United has quashed many a young talent and the few that make it are the ones with bags of belief, those who can handle personal setbacks and take responsibility on their shoulders when the team needs a lift.

Scanlon has shown he can contribute a lot when his team-mates are on fire, but he will also need to demonstrate he can make the difference against the toughest of opponents, when others are not on it. His experience with Gibraltar will be a huge help in that respect, especially when they begin their World Cup qualification campaign next year.

The minnows were humiliated 14-0 by France in Euro 2024 qualifiers as well as suffering heavy defeats to the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland. The odds will be stacked against them in every game in qualifying, so it will be a real test of Scanlon’s personality and his ability to galvanise his team-mates when spirits are low.

The next… Alejandro Garnacho?

Scanlon’s two-footed nature and his knack for scoring from either wing is reminiscent of a teenage Alejandro Garnacho, who starred in United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side and was so good he practically skipped the under-21 side, landing straight in the first team. Scanlon is much more unassuming than Garnacho, who loves the limelight and stands out off the pitch too.

But he has a similar level of confidence to the Argentine and is not shy when it comes to taking players on and scoring from long range.

What comes next?

Gibraltar coach Julio Cesar Ribas has said Scanlon has “an immense future” but he must pick his next move carefully. He has limited experience in the under-21 side, meaning he would be best served by getting a loan move to a Championship side so that he can keep testing himself against older and stronger players.

If Amorim’s record of giving young players a chance at Sporting is anything to go by, however, he may not have to leave United in order to get opportunities at senior level. The coach gave Geovany Quenda his debut at the start of this season less than four months after turning 17. He brought centre-backs Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande into the Sporting side when they were both still only 19.

United certainly do not lack wingers but they are lacking goals from their forwards across the board, having made their lowest-scoring start to a season in 51 years.

Scanlon’s ruthless scoring reputation, therefore, could be his biggest asset in his bid to become the first youth player Amorim brings into the first team.