ETHAN WHEATLEY’S place in the Manchester United history books is secure after a week he will never forget.
But there are hopes at Old Trafford that the 18-year-old striker will be a knockout punch for them in the future.
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On Tuesday night, he scored the two goals that helped the Red Devils win the Premier League Under-18 Cup final against Manchester City.
The club’s new technical director, Jason Wilcox, was in the stands at Leigh Sports Village and must have been impressed.
And just 24 hours later, Wheatley was called up from the bench for his first-team debut in stoppage time of the 4-2 win over Sheffield United.
In doing so, the Stockport-born striker became the 250th academy graduate to play for United’s first team – a true milestone for the club.
Still, anyone who follows Carrington’s junior teams will know that he has been making headlines for some time with his quality and goal scoring.
Earlier this season, he was the target of harsh treatment in a game against old rivals Liverpool – so he took revenge in the best way possible.
He scored three goals in the 9-1 rout in the second leg and scored one of his goals in the boxing celebration.
It was the same one made famous by a certain Wayne Rooney – who saw him fall to the ground in front of his teammates.
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The young man clearly knows his history at United. He was also thrilled when he met Cristiano Ronaldo on the sidelines at Carrington in 2022 – before his second spell at United turned sour.
Wheatley only signed a professional contract with United in January, but had already been training with the first team for a few months.
In addition to his achievements against City and Liverpool, he scored four goals in a game against Southampton Under 18s earlier this season.
A quick and skilful attacker, he is comfortable with both feet and is known for his tight turns into the box.
Despite being over 6ft tall and a typical number 9 in many ways, he has the speed and ability to outrun defenders.
Some have compared him to former England striker Danny Welbeck, who showed promise during his early days at United.
There has already been interest from lower league clubs interested in signing him on loan, but these have so far been rejected.
United plan to take him on their pre-season trip to the United States – particularly as a number of players will be absent due to international commitments, while Anthony Martial will be absent.
He has previously represented England at Under-17 level – earning his first cap against Poland a few years ago.
But whether he is the type to get Three Lions fans excited remains to be seen – as he regularly displays a Malaysian flag in his social media posts.
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This is the birthplace of one of his grandmothers and the family regularly visited Kuala Lumpur during his childhood.
Captain Bruno Fernandes welcomed Wheatley onto the pitch for his debut on Wednesday and promised to do everything he could to get him on the scoresheet.
The young striker revealed: “Bruno pulled me aside and said: ‘I have nine minutes to try and score a goal for you!’
“So I was just trying to get into that position for him and obviously that didn’t happen, but hopefully soon.”
It wasn’t meant to be, but United fans hope to see a lot more of him in the future.
And Fernandes insisted afterwards that Wheatley was there on merit and not just because of absences from the ten Hag squad.
The United captain said: “It’s a moment he will always remember and we hope he gets more chances.
“He has a chance because the coach trusts him. I tried to give him a goal because I know it’s a big moment.
“If he has chances, he will also get his goals.”
And it was a special moment for Wheatley, despite not being able to find the back of the net.
Speaking after his debut, he said: “It’s an honor to make my debut. And that number 250 also makes it a little more.”
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Experts’ verdict on Ten Hag’s future
What are the experts’ stance on Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United?
Jamie Carragher – fired
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag will stay. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if you win the FA Cup
“Firing a manager who won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it so clearly, but they need changes from the players, but they also need changes from him.”
Alan Shearer – fired
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager has already been determined. Even if they win the FA Cup, I think he is gone.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
