You can’t win anything with kids- or can you?

It’s fair to say that Manchester United’s season has been a rocky one. Still reeling from the Sir Alex Ferguson glory days, United have really struggled to gain momentum in this middle part of the season, being dumped out of the Champions League and a series of poor results in the league that has left them unlikely to meet their target of further Champions League qualification for the next campaign. However out of the Old Trafford darkness and amidst discontent from the Stratford End, some new stars are shining through.

It’s worth noting that LvG has stuck to his more senior players throughout his tenure at United, however following a string of injuries in the squad the youth have been able to push through. Marcus Rashford is the latest starlet to light up the Old Trafford pitch. Netting twice in his debut game, he helped to overturn the deficit from the first leg in the Europa League clash against FC Midtjylland and set up a last 16 encounter with Liverpool. But his goal scoring run didn’t stop there; he netted twice again in United’s following game against Arsenal.

His explosive playing style brings an energy to the United squad that has otherwise been lacking this season. He also has a big supporter in the form of United’s under 18 manager Nicky Butt. Butt included Rashford in the side that beat PSV in the Youth Champions League, and was impressed in his performance. Again, he netted twice in that game. Rashford follows in the footsteps of the likes of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who made his United debut against West Brom back in November. Unfortunately Borthwick-Jackson, like Will Keane, has had problems with injuries, and as such has missed United’s recent run of fixtures.

Before picking up his knock, Borthwick-Jackson had become a regular in the first team, and was arguably the Manchester United Academy’s biggest success story of the season. Aside from the Academy, United have been spending on youthful players. Most notably was the investment of £36m on Anthony Martial. This broke the club record for spending on a youth player, beating Luke Shaw’s £27m in the previous year.

Regarded by some as overprice, Martial silenced the critics on his debut against Liverpool, netting against the Liverpudlians. By the end of September, Martial had scored 3 goals in 2 games, scooping the gongs for PFA Fan's Player of the Month and United’s Goal of the Month. He was also named Premier League Player of the Month for September and was awarded the Golden Boy award as Europe's best under-21 player on 19 December. All of a sudden, the £36m price tag appears to have justification, especially considering he has carried a United team lacking in pace and power.

While the future has begun to look a little less bleak for United fans, they cannot be carried away by the small progress of a number of talented youngsters. Consistency is the key for Van Gaal, and he will hope and pray that Rashford, Martial, Varela and Co can continue to perform at the their best. Looking ahead to the future though, with the starlets that United have nurtured from the Academy and brought in through the transfer windows, the horizon begins to look promising for the club. However, with the Premier League being so competitive, it’s hard to see where the chances might arise for new talent to come through. Can’t win anything with kids? Hansen, eat your hat.