Meet the Man Utd youngsters Ruben Amorim must turn to to save dismal season including pair poached from Arsenal

CRISIS-HIT Manchester United were without 12 first-team players for the dismal 1-0 defeat to Tottenham as they fell to a record-low 15th place in the Premier League table. Man Utd's 12th defeat in 25 league games has left them 12 points above the drop zone and the last time things were this bad at Old Trafford the club was relegated from the top flight. To make matters worse, with key stars Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez out for the season, Ruben Amorim had to name eight teenagers, including seven academy stars, on the bench to face Spurs.

Yet it seemed an uneasy burden for the 40-year-old as he made just one change by bringing on Chido Obi in injury time - a baffling decision given how underwhelming those on the pitch were playing. In what is maybe the understatement of the season, Amorim said it was a moment "when everything is going wrong". Yet there is a small ray of hope he can lean on: An 87-year tradition of promoting youth. Going back to before World War Two, the Red Devils have named at least one academy graduate in their squad since Tom Manley and Jack Wassall made the team-sheet in 1937.

It is a run stretching back 4,279 games - with names such as Bobby Charlton, George Best, Mark Hughes, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Marcus Rashford among the club's illustrious list. Carrington has provided time and time again in moments of crisis for the Red Devils, and thanks to Nick Cox and his outstanding team, it is one of the few parts of the club fans can still be immensely proud of. Amorim understandably wants to be "careful" with the latest crop of stars by not rushing their development, but with the club financially crippled through years of mismanagement, new signings to fit his system will also be hard to come by.

Amorim trusted youth at ex-club Sporting Lisbon, and in time he will likely learn to do the same at United, but who are the stars Amorim must now turn to to help salvage United's season?. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS. Jack Moorhouse was the talk of the town when it was announced he was set to travel with the first-team to Tottenham following the quadruple midfield injury crisis thrust upon the Red Devils.

Moorhouse scored twice when Amorim went to personally watch the Under-21s as they beat Southampton 5-1 in December. Often playing as an advanced midfielder, Moorhouse is favoured for his exceptional ball-carrying ability which has seen him labelled as a Paul Pogba 2.0 and compared to Morgan Rogers. United are crying out for reinforcements following the departures of Rashford and Antony, and with Amad's long-term injury, Moorhouse may be given minutes in one of the two No.10 roles up for grabs.

Perhaps the second-best-known player on the list to United fans after a certain striker, Amass has long been touted as a star of the future. The left-sided defender has drawn numerous comparisons to the profile of Luke Shaw in the past, with the former Southampton star even saying Amass was one to watch for the future. He has been selected in senior teams before and was named in the Red Devils Europa League squad at the start of this season and it is no shock that there has been interest in his signature from Premier League clubs.

With Tyrell Malacia being sent out on loan, Amorim needs reliable options to play left wing-back, so watch this space for the dynamic defender to play when £25million signing Patrick Dorgu is rotated out. The son of Man Utd cult hero Darren Fletcher, the teenager has followed in his dad's footsteps by becoming a midfielder. He was poached from the academy of Manchester City in the summer of 2023 alongside his twin brother, Tyler.

He has impressed at youth level having been nominated for the PL2 Player of the Month award, while his first time being included in a senior matchday squad came against Brentford. Fletcher is left-footed and said to be an all-action dynamo, equally capable of picking up the ball from his centre-backs and playing through the lines as he is crashing the opposition box. That gives Amorim a nice versatile option to add to his depleted arsenal of weapons as United continue to compete across three fronts.

The goalkeeping department was probably one of the last things on Amorim's mind in January, but injuries to Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton have left only Andre Onana as the only senior shot-stopper. Harrison had been on loan at National League North side Chester until January when United recalled him after a successful four-month spell, although appearances in the FA Cup mean he is cup-tied. After a stellar youth campaign in the 2023/24 season, Harrison became the youngest recipient of the Denzil Haroun Reserve-Team Player of the Year since Adnan Januzaj and only second the goalkeeper to win the award.

Chester boss Calum McIntyre said the teenager, who turns 19 on February 19, has "unbelievable pedigree" at Old Trafford. And should Onana suffer any injury, Harrison will be parachuted in to try and provide safe hands between the sticks. Relatively speaking, Tyler Fredricson has less hype surrounding him than his counterparts. But in fairness, very few central defenders generate the same hype as their more attack-minded team-mates.