Unleash JJ Gabriel! The five Man Utd academy stars who can step up to fill recruitment gaps for Michael Carrick this season
Devaney may not be used to playing in the heart of the backline, but Dan Armer certainly is. The Scottish ace is a savvy, ball-playing defender, as supporters saw in his substitute appearances featured against Wrexham, Rosenborg and Atletico.
The sight of Armer driving out of the defence instantly brings Harry Maguire to mind, and he has made a big impression on the veteran United and England star. “I think Dan’s been brilliant,” Maguire said via United’s official media channels this week. “Eighteen years old, playing in tough games and playing for this club for the first time. He’s been magnificent at centre-back and, hopefully, he can continue to progress, keep enjoying working with us.”
Armer may well have the clearest path to a starting spot under Carrick. With Matthijs de Ligt still out due to a chronic back injury and Lisandro Martinez nursing a knock after his World Cup exploits for Argentina, United only have Maguire, Leny Yoro and the 19-year-old Ayden Heaven to call upon at centre-half.
It would make perfect sense, then, to throw Armer into the mix. Standing at the imposing height of 6ft 4in, and boasting the tactical awareness of a much older player, he should have no issue adjusting to the competitive senior level. Like all the other players on this list, he’s hungry, too. Carrick has nothing to lose by giving them all a platform.
