The Manchester United loan army this season has had a mixed time of things but there has been one undisputed success story in the crop so far.
Joe Hugill has shown flashes of potential but failed to convince consistently, while Rhys Bennett and Sonny Aljofree have had moments too but not played enough games.
Of course, Jadon Sancho is the high-profile first-team loan but he might as well be a Chelsea player permanently due to the obligation to buy.
It all means that in terms of future first-team potential, Elyh Harrison was the one to watch from this season’s loan army and Harrison impressed at Chester too.
Now, Manchester United have made a decision on his future after being convinced of his abilities in just six months in Wales.
Man Utd’s Elyh Harrison decision
Harrison joined Chester in the summer after impressing in the youth football scene for United last season en route to three trophies at that level.
This was Harrison’s first taste of senior football and for that to be in non-league, where the game is intensely physical, was quite a big challenge for the goalkeeper.
But Harrison took to senior football like a duck to water, setting clean sheet records for Chester and endearing himself to the people at the club as well as its fans.
In just six months, he has progressed massively, and in light of that development, United have taken a proactive decision to keep him challenged.
Harrison is set to be recalled by United from his loan spell and the expectation is that he’ll be sent to a higher-division club. Chester manager Calum McIntyre waxed lyrical about Harrison’s impact in just five months at the club.
He said: “Elyh has been superb for us, and we are really thankful for all his efforts over this first half of the season. He has shown his immense ability and has a hugely bright future in the game ahead of him. We can be really proud that we were his first taste of senior football.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to those in the Academy at Manchester United for placing their trust in us to take Elyh over the last five months.”
What next for Elyh Harrison
It can be expected that Harrison will take the Dean Henderson route, who had his first loan spell at Shrewsbury and progressed up the ladder to become a Premier League and international goalkeeper now.
Chester are in the sixth division of English football but after six months where he clearly looked far better than the competition.
A move to a team in League Two would have been ideal as the next stage in his development, combining the physicality of lower leagues with a significant jump in quality of football.
However, it looks like United want him to be a part of the first-team picture, training with the seniors while making appearances for the U21s side regularly. That is an even bigger endorsement of his skills.
This is good, proactive decision-making by United and if all goes well, they could have a goalkeeper ready to challenge for at least a backup role as soon as next season.
There’s Radek Vitek also waiting in the wings who’s having a great loan spell in Austria but he might prefer to continue his career as a first-choice elsewhere after this loan.
In that case, Harrison could rival Bayindir, who looks to be on his way out anyway, for the backup goalkeeper spot, considering he will be training under the watchful eye of Ruben Amorim every day.
He can be the man who fulfills the dreams fans had with Dean Henderson.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/gbQPoSn