It's time for Fergie's Fledglings part-II

The Busby Babes, Fergie’s Fledglings and now… Fergie’s Fledglings Part II. If the blue side of Manchester are trying to buy the title after spending more than £300 million on player transfer fees, the red half has kept an undying legacy of bringing through young players and taking the English Premier League by storm.Arsenal’s long lasting motto of ‘In Arsene we trust’ seems to be dimming with every passing season and in the case of 2011/12, in the case of every passing game. If something matters more than anything in the quest of winning a Premier League title, its beating the big teams, (and I can confidently say that both the Manchester clubs are part of this group) and Arsenal just have not been able to do this over the past few seasons.[caption id="attachment_71892" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Manchester United have successfully integrated a host of young players in their team. AP"][/caption]But this article is not about how Arsenal played, it is about how Manchester United have successfully integrated a host of young players in their team… again. As legend goes, the Red Devils have bounced back time and again and produced their own crop of players out of whom some have become world class players, the closest examples being Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.It could be said it was easier in earlier times to create teams, with money not being spent at obnoxious amounts like now and this very reason makes Ferguson’s task even more mammoth than ever before. With Chelsea and Manchester City oiling in established players, it has been a steady development at United of young players that has proven to be the catalyst of this energetic team.Wesley Sneijder’s name was mentioned again and again in the back pages of English tabloids but I would always tell myself that even though he is a world class midfielder, who could easily have replaced Paul Scholes, there is absolutely no need for him in this team. Actually, I wonder who would make way in the squad for the Dutchman. With Anderson looking brand new this season and Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs easily the next choices in the middle and Park, Valencia, Nani and Young enough as wingers, there is no space in the team. Even the defense looks neat with Smalling adjusting at full-back and Phil Jones my tip for future captaincy, it’s a daunting line-up.Ferguson has been shrewd in the market and used United’s pull smartly to beat the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in the race to sign youngsters Phil Jones and Ashley Young (who, at the age of 26, is actually a senior member of the squad). David De Gea is another one who looks like a quality keeper. I shall actually ignore the calls against him after his mistakes in the first couple games, because only a talented goalkeeper can keep 24 clean sheets for an Atletico team playing at the top level in Spain.I was lucky enough when Sheffield United’s youth team made it to the Youth FA Cup Final, because that meant going for the first leg of the final at Bramall Lane for £3 on the third row and see them play none other than Manchester United’s Under 18’s. With Ravel Morrison, Ryan Tunicliffe and Paul Pogba coming through the ranks in the next couple years, I think Ferguson, Mike Phelan and United’s scouting staff have done a top-dog job in maintaining a steady flow of young players at Old Trafford.Out of all of them, it looks like Pogba is the most exciting talent, and at the age of 18, an excellent physique at 6 feet 2 inches for the Premier League and an eye for the killer pass, it looks like he has a glittering career waiting for him.[fpgallery id=174]There have been players who have gone out on loan and never returned, but this group seems to be one which has earned its right to play in the first eleven, with Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck both having good terms last season, paving the way out of the famous tunnel every game this season with the latter keeping out hitmen Hernandez, Owen and Berbatov on the bench.With Arsenal looking completely out of sorts since gameweek 35 last season, Chelsea clearly having to work harder than ever for their victories and getting old, Liverpool maybe needing a season more to hit top gear, it seems no one can stop this title race breaking off into a two-legged battle of Manchester that will send fans’ mouths watering.Manchester United have been conducting a survey to choose their best XI ever and the front runners are all United’s young guns that have come through, or the home grown legends of yesteryears. If this team continues to play like this for the next 5 years, it won’t be long before they will be part of another survey a couple decades later.As for christening them Fergie’s Fledglings Part II, let me run to the copyright office to register my patent for a team whose average age is just 23.