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Post by ratbag on Jan 13, 2014 17:49:01 GMT
Interesting that both Pogba and Morrison get a mention.
Yes, they were playing for the academy but if they had got as much first team action at 18 as Ladnan has they'd have been awesome for us by now...some of Morrison's skills just had to be seen...he will hopefully still make it as he would really help the England cause...he has deceptive pace, great balance and was two footed in what I have seen of him...
Best was the absolute best I ever saw....same balance and two footedness...but something else just magical...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 21:34:01 GMT
Ravel Morrison. Brazilian Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo. Owen. Fowler. Only gone for players in my lifetime. There's other who you could tell would be good/great players, like Joe Cole, Rio, Gerrard, but they were hardly the best 18 year olds I'd seen. No Giggs? |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 21:51:40 GMT
Ravel Morrison. Brazilian Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo. Owen. Fowler. Only gone for players in my lifetime. There's other who you could tell would be good/great players, like Joe Cole, Rio, Gerrard, but they were hardly the best 18 year olds I'd seen. Morrison? |
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Post by SAF_Legend on Jan 14, 2014 13:17:04 GMT
I won't be putting people whom I never actually watched myself i.e. Best, Giggs or Owen, so that leaves me with...
C.Ronaldo was the only person I had genuinely watched most of his matches - because I only usually ever watch United play. Rooney with the hype was exciting, his goal against Newcastle was stunning. Both were outstanding for 18 year olds.
Messi (16?), Fabregas (17?), Augero (18) and Torres (18) - I can't actually remember their age, but from my past FM days, they were hailed as wonderkids which prompted me to watch their videos. Then you have Gotze at Dortmund and the Neymar hype.
Sterling, Barkley and Januzaj have been outstanding this season, with Sterling doing well last year as well. Pogba (Juventus) last year.
Never got the chance to watch some of our youth play; but either way, they would need the extra step up to play in the PL for me to consider them one of the "best 18 year old" I'd ever seen - a chance some just didn't have.
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Post by Tatty on Jan 14, 2014 13:35:58 GMT
Ravel Morrison. Brazilian Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo. Owen. Fowler. Only gone for players in my lifetime. There's other who you could tell would be good/great players, like Joe Cole, Rio, Gerrard, but they were hardly the best 18 year olds I'd seen. Morrison? Ravel Morrison is the best English player I have ever seen. He's so far head and shoulders above anything else this country's produced, it's not even funny. And I include Scholes in this. It's just a shame the lad doesn't have Ronaldo's mentality. The game comes so natural to him, but I don't think he works hard to maintain a season like Ronaldo's had from 07 onwards. I think that might be due to his lack of love for football in general. A phrase always knocked around about him was: 'he's only a pro-footballer because he's so good at it, and doesn't have to try hard.' Speaks volumes. |
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Post by ratbag on Jan 14, 2014 14:52:22 GMT
Ravel Morrison is the best English player I have ever seen. He's so far head and shoulders above anything else this country's produced, it's not even funny. And I include Scholes in this. It's just a shame the lad doesn't have Ronaldo's mentality. The game comes so natural to him, but I don't think he works hard to maintain a season like Ronaldo's had from 07 onwards. I think that might be due to his lack of love for football in general. A phrase always knocked around about him was: 'he's only a pro-footballer because he's so good at it, and doesn't have to try hard.' Speaks volumes. ....and that is the tragedy....his skill with Ronnie's work ethic...doesn't bear thinking about..... |
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Post by redcase on Jan 15, 2014 9:06:25 GMT
I'm going to fuck shit up and say Pogba. Definitely one of the best 18 year old central midfielders I have ever seen. No where near and I say that without sour grapes. At 18 Pogba was doing great in academy games (though always as much influence as he should have been), Adnan is gaining MOM in league games. On the curve Adnan is way ahead. Bare in mind Pogba nearing 21 and the question is specific. I watched a lot of Pogba at 18 and relatively their miles apart. (*edit as Tatty points out, Pogba wasn't even the best 18 year old in that team let alone best ever) I'd have Adnan ahead of Ronaldo too, he just looks so much more effective already. If Adnan had been playing in better performing United side, I'm sure he'd have benefited to. Rooney was a monster, but he was basically at physical peak by 17, whereas Ronaldo had to wait till 20/21 where it all came together. Ronaldo just evolved into a near perfect athlete, the perfect blend of speed, strength, balance and height. Combined with skill and application, its no surprise how good he became. If Adnan has the application and gains some speed and power as he reaches his peak, he can be as good as he wants. So you think at 18 Pogba didn't deserve to be ahead of Park and Giggs on the pitch? I beg to differ. One of the biggest mistakes of Fergie's career will be exactly that - at 18 Pogba was still playing academy games. And that's not just me. Zizou thinks so too. Now look where he is. |
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Post by fletchabey on Jan 15, 2014 9:39:45 GMT
Like I said, Pogba wasn't even the most impressive 18 year old in those Academy games. This question is not about what someone could have done (potential), but what actually did happen. Most people acknowledge that with Ronaldo, its not about where you could see him being in 2 years. I just cant really take it seriously that Pogba would be top for anyone when we have a few of our own united players ahead of him, let alone the rest of the world.
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Post by Bestie on Jan 15, 2014 9:55:45 GMT
Like I said, Pogba wasn't even the most impressive 18 year old in those Academy games. This question is not about what someone could have done (potential), but what actually did happen. Most people acknowledge that with Ronaldo, its not about where you could see him being in 2 years. I just cant really take it seriously that Pogba would be top for anyone when we have a few of our own united players ahead of him, let alone the rest of the world. Uh, no. Pretty sure the question is who the best eighteen year old is/was. Not the best young player to have turned into a really good player since they were eighteen. By your reasoning, Januzaj couldn't come into it. |
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Post by fletchabey on Jan 15, 2014 13:38:02 GMT
Like I said, Pogba wasn't even the most impressive 18 year old in those Academy games. This question is not about what someone could have done (potential), but what actually did happen. Most people acknowledge that with Ronaldo, its not about where you could see him being in 2 years. I just cant really take it seriously that Pogba would be top for anyone when we have a few of our own united players ahead of him, let alone the rest of the world. Uh, no. Pretty sure the question is who the best eighteen year old is/was. Not the best young player to have turned into a really good player since they were eighteen. By your reasoning, Januzaj couldn't come into it. I did not say that, I was saying quite the opposite, pretty much what you just said. Redcase was suggesting about where you could see Pogba being. Like I said about Ronaldo, most of us could see a boundless talent there, but at 18, what actually did happen, was a rather frustrating skilful winger with poor decision making. Ergo no one in this thread is suggesting him. I'm not so keen on the fractional highlighting and what I perceive to be a twisting my words out of context. It was only 1 small paragraph, I think reading it through it makes sense. Anyway we digress, but I certainly found Morrison to be the bigger talent and he was the talisman of that side, not Pogba. Just a shame that talent was given to an idiot who didn't care. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 22:51:03 GMT
Ravel Morrison is the best English player I have ever seen. He's so far head and shoulders above anything else this country's produced, it's not even funny. And I include Scholes in this. It's just a shame the lad doesn't have Ronaldo's mentality. The game comes so natural to him, but I don't think he works hard to maintain a season like Ronaldo's had from 07 onwards. I think that might be due to his lack of love for football in general. A phrase always knocked around about him was: 'he's only a pro-footballer because he's so good at it, and doesn't have to try hard.' Speaks volumes. I won't argue as I still haven't seen much of Morrison & when I have he's been class, but that's a brave claim. The fact that he doesn't seem to like football seems like a bit of a get out of jail free card for you. Determination & maturity should be important factors. If he really is that good Ferguson must have thought beyond all doubt that due to his lifestyle he would never succeed at United because who better than Ferguson to make the kid work hard and become the player he should be. A real shame. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 22:59:28 GMT
Pogba and Morrison don't get a mention for me.
You can't watch a kid playing in front of 20 people against a bunch of other kids and say that he's the best you've seen, in comparison to kids his same age who are playing in front of 70,000 people and up against international footballers.
Morrison destroying some 18 year olds in the youth team cannot in any sense be compared to an 18 year old Rooney destroying William Gallas for England against France in the European Championships before a world wide audience of hundreds of millions. At all.
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Post by Rorschach on Jan 17, 2014 8:17:35 GMT
Freddy Adu
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 8:34:26 GMT
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Post by johnboy14 on Jan 17, 2014 18:00:45 GMT
Theres so many examples of so called wonder kids but mental attitude is usually there downfall. Anderson for example. That first season we thought we were looking at a player who would dominate in central midfield for years. Within two years he had completely fallen off the wagon. Injuries aside his attitude was awful. It doesn't do Januzai any good getting all this praise so early but its hard to resist when he's doing so well. Morrison is very talented naturally. He's blessed with solid technique and a build that won't require alot of work but he's a complete spanner and at this level attitude counts for a lot. I can't for the life of me understand why someone wouldn't be able to sacrifice abit of themselves and there personal life considering the rewards of modern football. Frank Lampard wasn't blessed with natural ability but he made quite a career for himself.
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