Former Manchester United loans chief Les Parry has questioned the attitude of young players rising through the ranks.
It is now a fortnight since Ruben Amorim called out Manchester United’s young stars in the debate over Kobbie Mainoo, and the debate is ongoing.
Amorim doubled down on his questioning of Toby Collyer, Chido Obi and Harry Amass, arguing that too many young players have sense of ‘entitlement’ that they should be playing for the first team.
The head coach‘s comments were sparked by questions over Kobbie Mainoo, with Amorim stating he wants the midfielder to fight for his place at the club, and not expect it to be handed to him.
Former Manchester United loans chief Les Parry has also weighed in on the debate, and talked about the expectations that potential superstar players have, and the challenges that come with it.
Specifically, Parry referred back to one incident with Mason Greenwood, and his sense of regret.
Ruben Amorim believes Harry Amass and Chido Obi would not make an impact in the Man Utd first team 🤔
What do you think of Amorim’s comments? Is he making a good point, or is he losing it?
Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Les Parry on Mason Greenwood
Former Manchester United loan chief Les Parry says that there was once a row when Mason Greenwood was playing for the under-16s over the position he should play.
Parry says he was upset that the coach at the time Neil Ryan conceded to Greenwood and allowed him to play at striker, instead of on the wing.
“‘I told him, “He’s won Neil”.
“You think that if we’d done it differently, would things have been different with Mason?”
Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Greenwood went on to score regularly for Manchester United’s first team and looked like he was on the way to becoming a true superstar.
However, he ended up facing criminal charges due to his off field behaviour, before the case was later dropped by the CPS.
The fallout from the incident led to United eventually deciding Greenwood would never play for the club again, and his exit was eventually facilitated, sold to Marseille in 2024.
The widely held view is that Greenwood threw his opportunity away, and he must not be absolved responsibility of his own actions.
But the question from Parry asks whether United could have done better to shape Greenwood as an individual along the way.
Who is the best Man Utd midfielder 2000-2025? Cast your vote 🗳️
The top THREE make it into our XI
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Parry on United dilemmas with young players
Parry added that when you have a very special young player, it can be hard to rally back against their own expectations.
He said: “Marcus Rashford has always known he’s an elite player. You’re giving them a stamp in the middle of their heads. They know they get treated slightly differently.’”
United are experiencing a similar dilemma with young talent JJ Gabriel, who is being hyped up as one of the best young stars of his generation.
WHAT are your BOLD predictions for 2026?🔮
Silverware? Big signings? Ruben Amorim’s future?
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
United are already having to resist enquiries from Barcelona and other clubs who would love to tempt him away.
And there will be fear at United of losing him, worried that if they do not meet his every demand, they could make an error that pushes him out the door.
It is a tricky line to tread, but realistically there must be buy-in from all sides.
Demands must always stay reasonable, and authority must be respected. If a young player believes their own hype too early and believes they are untouchable, it is recipe for disaster.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox