The 14 wonderkids who can make Man United's 'Mission 21' a reality: Our expert picks the best future stars that Sir Jim Ratcliffe should sign to win the Premier League in the next three years ...and the new arrival who shows the project is already underway

Manchester United have launched an ambitious blueprint to win their 21st top-flight title within the next three years and stay clear of Liverpool in the record books. The project, titled 'Mission 21', is part of a wider 'Project 150' initiative coinciding with United's 150th anniversary in 2028, and was unveiled to staff by Sir Dave Brailsford, who is on the club's football board and is Ineos director of sport.

The former British Cycling supremo's plan involves scouring the world for the stars of the future, buying youngsters with potential and developing them into world-class talents, rather than throwing money at established players. United lead the way with 20 top-flight titles but Liverpool look primed to match them this season, sitting six points clear at the top with a game in hand. Sir Alex Ferguson famously made it his goal to overhaul the Reds, and 'knock them off their perch' – taking United from 11 titles behind their rivals to two in front when he retired. But 2013 remains the club's last success and the race is on.

Here, our European football expert TOM COLLOMOSSE looks at 14 wonderkids they could bring in to make those dreams a reality, including one new arrival at Old Trafford who already fits the bill. 1. SVERRE NYPAN. Age: 18 Club: Rosenborg Country: Norway Position: Central midfielder. Norway’s two finest football exports, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, represent England’s two strongest clubs – but their heir apparent has eyes only for another Premier League giant.

‘It would be a dream come true to play for Manchester United,’ the 6ft midfielder told the United Norway podcast. ‘But I am quite adamant I don’t want to open that door yet. Sverre Nypan could be the latest Norwegian superstar to take the Premier League by storm. Nypan came up against his boyhood club last summer during a friendly in Trondheim. ‘Nypan is a truly generational talent,’ an experienced Norwegian scout told Mail Sport. ‘If he continues to play like this, it’s very likely he’ll move within a year.

There will be plenty of competition for Nypan, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa showing strong interest in him in January. If he follows his heart, though, there can be only one winner. 2. CONRAD HARDER. Age: 19 Club: Sporting Lisbon Country: Denmark Position: Forward. When scouting strikers, analysts will always look at shot volume – how many times a player strikes for goal per 90 minutes.

For context, Lionel Messi has taken aim 5.10 times per match on average across his career, Cristiano Ronaldo 5.61, Sergio Aguero 4.41 and Robert Lewandowski 4.30. After 46 senior games recorded by stats gurus FBRef StatHead, Harder’s ratio is an astonishing 5.18. It is a small sample size, he has been playing for Sporting only this season and the number will inevitably drop. Conrad Harder scored his first Champions League goal last week, in a 1-1 draw with Bologna.

Sporting identified Harder knowing that Viktor Gyokeres is likely to leave this summer. But he is certainly worth following – especially as market wizards Brighton, who excel in identifying young talent, are also interested in him. The best clubs understand long in advance when they might have to sell their top players. Realising Viktor Gyokeres would probably leave this summer, Sporting brought in Harder 12 months earlier.

But Harder is progressing so quickly that he might catch even the Portuguese champions on the hop. 3. ROONY BARDGHJI. Age: 19 Club: Copenhagen Country: Sweden Position: Winger. The man with the memorable name scored a memorable 87th-minute winning goal against United in the Champions League last year. But his progress has been halted by a serious knee injury that is likely to keep him out until next spring.

Roony Bardghji scored the winning goal for Copenhagen against Man United last season. The Kuwait-born winger's contract expires in December and he is recovering from injury. Kuwait-born Bardghji’s contract expires in December and he is on the books of one of the world’s leading agencies. There is no doubting the talent, but it all depends now on how Bardghji plays when he returns. 4. MANDELA KEITA. Age: 22 Club: Parma Country: Belgium Position: Midfielder.

Put yourself in Mandela Keita’s shoes. You make a £10million move to Parma and make your debut 10 minutes into the second half of a Serie A fixture at Udinese. Less than 20 minutes later, you’re shown a second yellow card and given an early bath. It is all part of the learning process for a defensive midfielder who has been on Premier League radars for some time. Keita, who wears ‘Mandela’ on his shirt, is a classic No 6 – quick, agile, athletic, and strong in duels.