Where are they now? The 15 children handed over to Man Utd debut by Louis Van Gaal
Louis Van Gaal's two years at the helm of Manchester United may not be fondly remembered, but it was a great time for members of the club's academy.
United finished fourth and fifth in Van Gaal's two seasons at Old Trafford, also winning the FA Cup in his last game in charge in 2016.
We took a look at the 15 academy players he made his debut at, to see how their respective careers have evolved since then.
jesse lingardVan Gaal's two years in charge of Manchester United, and the ups and downs that followed, can best be captured by Lingard.
After the striker spent time on loan at Leicester, Birmingham and Brighton, Van Gaal handed him a start on his first competitive game in charge of United.
But Lingard had to be substituted through injury just 24 minutes into a loss to Swansea and when he regained his form he was sent out on loan again, this time to Derby.< /p>
The following season marked Lingard's breakthrough at Old Trafford, and he ended the campaign by scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, which proved to be Van Gaal's last at the head of the club.
After making himself a favorite under Jose Mourinho, Lingard fell out of favor under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before finding his best form on loan at West Ham under David Moyes.
The former England international returned to Old Trafford but always found himself on the sidelines and left for Nottingham Forest this summer.
Marcus RashfordRashford was kicked out for a Europa League tie with Midtjylland after Anthony Martial suffered the injury in the warm-up and grabbed the headlines with two goals.
Three days later, the teenager netted twice against Arsenal and also bagged the Manchester derby winner later that season. He went on to score much more for club and country while becoming the nation's darling.
But his form and performance fell off a cliff last season which saw Rashford lose his place in the England squad. He has played better this season but faces an uphill struggle to convince Gareth Southgate to take him to Qatar next month.
Guillermo VarelaThe first player signed by David Moyes, Varela had to bide his time to break into the United squad, making 11 appearances in Van Gaal's final season in charge.
A loan to Eintracht Frankfurt the following campaign didn't quite go to plan as the right-back got a tattoo days before the German Cup final, only to miss the game after being infected.
Varela returned to his native Uruguay with Penarol before returning to Europe with FC Copenhagen in December 2018. The defender made 53 appearances for the Danish side but is now plying his trade for Flamengo in Brazil.
"It would be a dream to return to Old Trafford," Varela told The Sun in December 2019. "It would be a beautiful time - I'm looking forward to it.
"I'm only 26. Of course I want to return to the Premier League at some point. In the future, maybe I can come back and play for Manchester United - I hope."
Paddy McNairAn injury crisis in defense gave McNair an opportunity in the Red Devils starting XI, but he endured a love/hate relationship with Van Gaal.
At one point Van Gaal suggested McNair could be United's right-back for the 'next 10 years', but he later criticized the Northern Irishman as 'he thought he was a striker' when he kicked the ball up the field. in a draw with Leicester.
McNair has since insisted he was out of position, and his midfield form for Sunderland during their Championship relegation season led to a move to Middlesbrough in 2018.
The Northern Ireland international was named Middlesbrough's Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season and helped United eliminate the FA Cup in 2022.
Saidy JankoJanko's lone appearance under Van Gaal was unfortunate as he was substituted at half-time in a 4-0 loss to MK Dons in the League Cup.
The right-back joined Porto in 2018 but hasn't played for the Portuguese club, instead spending time on loan at Nottingham Forest and Young Boys. In the summer of 2020, he moved to Real Valladolid but couldn't prevent their relegation from La Liga.
It turns out now for the Bundesliga team Bochum.
Tom ThorpeLike Janko, Thorpe made just one appearance for United, coming on as a 94th-minute substitute in a win over West Ham.
The defender later joined the Football League with spells at Birmingham, Rotherham, Bradford and Bolton.
Now aged 29, he is without a club if...
Louis Van Gaal's two years at the helm of Manchester United may not be fondly remembered, but it was a great time for members of the club's academy.
United finished fourth and fifth in Van Gaal's two seasons at Old Trafford, also winning the FA Cup in his last game in charge in 2016.
We took a look at the 15 academy players he made his debut at, to see how their respective careers have evolved since then.
jesse lingardVan Gaal's two years in charge of Manchester United, and the ups and downs that followed, can best be captured by Lingard.
After the striker spent time on loan at Leicester, Birmingham and Brighton, Van Gaal handed him a start on his first competitive game in charge of United.
But Lingard had to be substituted through injury just 24 minutes into a loss to Swansea and when he regained his form he was sent out on loan again, this time to Derby.< /p>
The following season marked Lingard's breakthrough at Old Trafford, and he ended the campaign by scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, which proved to be Van Gaal's last at the head of the club.
After making himself a favorite under Jose Mourinho, Lingard fell out of favor under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before finding his best form on loan at West Ham under David Moyes.
The former England international returned to Old Trafford but always found himself on the sidelines and left for Nottingham Forest this summer.
Marcus RashfordRashford was kicked out for a Europa League tie with Midtjylland after Anthony Martial suffered the injury in the warm-up and grabbed the headlines with two goals.
Three days later, the teenager netted twice against Arsenal and also bagged the Manchester derby winner later that season. He went on to score much more for club and country while becoming the nation's darling.
But his form and performance fell off a cliff last season which saw Rashford lose his place in the England squad. He has played better this season but faces an uphill struggle to convince Gareth Southgate to take him to Qatar next month.
Guillermo VarelaThe first player signed by David Moyes, Varela had to bide his time to break into the United squad, making 11 appearances in Van Gaal's final season in charge.
A loan to Eintracht Frankfurt the following campaign didn't quite go to plan as the right-back got a tattoo days before the German Cup final, only to miss the game after being infected.
Varela returned to his native Uruguay with Penarol before returning to Europe with FC Copenhagen in December 2018. The defender made 53 appearances for the Danish side but is now plying his trade for Flamengo in Brazil.
"It would be a dream to return to Old Trafford," Varela told The Sun in December 2019. "It would be a beautiful time - I'm looking forward to it.
"I'm only 26. Of course I want to return to the Premier League at some point. In the future, maybe I can come back and play for Manchester United - I hope."
Paddy McNairAn injury crisis in defense gave McNair an opportunity in the Red Devils starting XI, but he endured a love/hate relationship with Van Gaal.
At one point Van Gaal suggested McNair could be United's right-back for the 'next 10 years', but he later criticized the Northern Irishman as 'he thought he was a striker' when he kicked the ball up the field. in a draw with Leicester.
McNair has since insisted he was out of position, and his midfield form for Sunderland during their Championship relegation season led to a move to Middlesbrough in 2018.
The Northern Ireland international was named Middlesbrough's Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season and helped United eliminate the FA Cup in 2022.
Saidy JankoJanko's lone appearance under Van Gaal was unfortunate as he was substituted at half-time in a 4-0 loss to MK Dons in the League Cup.
The right-back joined Porto in 2018 but hasn't played for the Portuguese club, instead spending time on loan at Nottingham Forest and Young Boys. In the summer of 2020, he moved to Real Valladolid but couldn't prevent their relegation from La Liga.
It turns out now for the Bundesliga team Bochum.
Tom ThorpeLike Janko, Thorpe made just one appearance for United, coming on as a 94th-minute substitute in a win over West Ham.
The defender later joined the Football League with spells at Birmingham, Rotherham, Bradford and Bolton.
Now aged 29, he is without a club if...
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