Premier League: Ravel was the best of us all - Keane lifts the lid on United's academy

Manchester United's youth policy has come under scrutiny in recent years, with the club making several alterations to their academy. The side have a rich tradition of promoting within, as they have had a home-grown player in every single squad since October 1937 and the story of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ was even made into a film. 

Burnley defender Michael Keane progressed through the ranks at Old Trafford along with his twin brother Will and was one of those given his debut by former coach Louis van Gaal. “Obviously, it was a dream to go through that academy being Manchester United fans,” Keane told Yahoo Sport. 

“After a few years it becomes your life, with us coming from Manchester together as twins it did help, it helped us to settle in quicker. I wouldn't change it for anything, as it made us the players we are today.”

Keane now has Chelsea monitoring his progress closely and was recently called-up to Gareth Southgate's first England squad. The defender won the Youth Cup in 2011, when he played alongside current United stars Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard. 

He played a key role in Burnley clinching a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday

“It's still up there with one of my best achievements along with promotion last year. At the time, it's the biggest competition and the biggest thing in your life. To go on such a good run, with such a good group of player and coaches was special. 

“If you see now the players that are doing well the likes of Pogba, Jesse Lingard, my brother Will, Ravel Morrison, we were all on fire and we had a great team. We went to West Ham and won 1-0, then were 2-0 down at half-time at Anfield and won 3-2,” added Keane. 

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The centre-back admits that Pogba always had an extreme talent, but it's former West Ham United and now Lazio midfielder Morrison that illustrated the most promise. 

“Ravel Morrison was probably the best of that age group coming through the U18s. His talent was unbelievable, I still hope he can get back and show everyone what he can do,” said Keane. 

“Jesse was a bit more like myself, he came through a bit slower and took his time developing. When he went into the reserves (U21's) he started to shine. He's obviously a very talented player and another one that works really hard and has a really good attitude.”