Ruud van Nistelrooy names two Leicester City teenagers on bench against Manchester United
Jeremy Monga and Jake Evans will be on the Leicester City bench at Manchester United as Ruud van Nistelrooy promotes the two talented youngsters into his first team.
Fifteen-year-old Monga and 16-year-old Evans, two of the most promising talents produced by City’s academy in a generation, have been shining for the Under-21s this season. Having said last week that he would be promoting them to the first team from next term, van Nistelrooy has now confirmed they will be in his squad for the FA Cup on Friday night.
It will be a big moment for the two teenagers, especially if they get onto the pitch at such an iconic ground in Old Trafford. But Monga, even though he is 15, will not be the club’s youngest-ever player if he does make his debut. He’s around a week older than Ashley Chambers was when he played aged 15 years and 203 days.
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“The FA Cup is also fantastic to add young players into my squad, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old,” van Nistelrooy said at his press conference on Thursday morning. “They’re going to be part of the squad, on the bench, tomorrow.
“It’s an occasion where these things can happen, opportunities for players. They have names! The 15-year-old is Jeremy Monga and the 16-year-old is Jakes Evans.
“The moment I came, coming from the Netherlands, it’s a country where you develop players and they sign for teams in the bigger leagues. In my time in PSV, it was great to be part of the development of Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke, Xavi Simons, Jarrod Branthwaite, Johan Bakayoko, Ismael Saibari, it’s fantastic as a manager, working with these lads.
“You’re teaching them the trade of what it’s like to be a professional, what the lifestyle is about, what is the approach, what is the mindset. Then you talk about things on the pitch, develop them as players and as human beings.
“It’s the same here. The first thing I did was look at the Under-21s, the Under-18s, join them in for regular first-team training and get an idea of them. It’s not only looking outside to strengthen. There’s a great academy here and I look inside to strengthen. When players are good enough, the age doesn’t matter to me, and they can help the squad and the team.”
Promoting Monga and Evans to the first team should also help to convince the pair that their futures are in the best hands at City. Van Nistelrooy has said previously that the whole world is aware of Monga’s talent.
“It’s what it’s about,” the manager added. “A talent decides on his pathway and what is best for the player. This club is a great pathway for young talents to get first-team training, first-team football in the Premier League at a young age. There are not many clubs who can offer that.”
