After bagging four on his debut for Birmingham, who is United wonderkid Lingard... and how about the rest of the Old Trafford starlets?

After Manchester United striker Jesse Lingard helped himself to a four-goal haul on his loan debut for Birmingham on Saturday, Sportsmail runs the rule over the best of the current crop of youngsters at Old Trafford.



Lingard grabbed the headlines with the first game of his loan spell, but Nick Powell also netted for temporary club Wigan, while Adnan Januzaj has been the shining light for David Moyes in a season which hit a further slump with the 4-1 humbling by local rivals Manchester City.

Januzaj and Lingard starred on the club's pre-season tour, with Moyes saying: ‘Both have done well and adapted well and made contributions to the team. It’s a tradition at United to try and get young players into the team and both have come through the system.



Haul: Birmingham City's Jesse Lingard (right) celebrates his and City's 4th goal with Tom Adeyemi Loan ranger: Lingard burst onto the scene for Birmingham against Sheffield Wednesday with four goals

Young gun: Nick Powell (left) also netted for Wigan against Ipswich, with Luke Hyam (right)

New man: New United manager David Moyes is hoping to bring through a new generation at Old Trafford Safe hands: David De Gea is Manchester United's first-choice keeper, but is just 22 years old

THE YOUNG GUARD

A Manchester United under-23 team:

David De Gea - 22

Rafael Da Silva - 23

Chris Smalling - 23

Phil Jones - 21

Fabio Da Silva - 23

Tom Cleverley - 23

Nick Powell - 19

Wilfried Zaha - 20

Adnan Januzaj - 18

Jesse Lingard - 20

Danny Welbeck - 22

Bench:

Ben Amos - 23

Michael Keane - 20

Will Keane - 20

Guillermo Varela - 20

Jack Barmby - 18

Hopefully we can get both some playing time next season but both need to keep their levels up and keep making an impact in training and games.’

Lingard, a Manchester boy, has already spoken of his desire to make a sustained impact on the United first team and he believes that, along with fellow homegrown youngsters Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, David Moyes has a generation that can look to replicate the sensational achievements of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.

The 20-year-old winger said: ‘Obviously people want to copy the 1992 era. I’ve known Danny and Tom from when I was little. They were at United with me when we were young and they’ve stayed, pushed on and progressed. Hopefully I can follow in their footsteps.’

The promise and potential is a source of excitement for the rank and file at Old Trafford, and combined with imports from at home - Phil Jones, Wilfried Zaha, Chris Smalling and Nick Powell - as well as from abroad - David De Gea, the Da Silva twins and Uruguayan full-back Guillermo Varela - new United manager David Moyes may have inherited a squad blessed with all the ingredients to create another dynasty of unrivalled success at Old Trafford.

Second dynasty: United achieved fantastic success with the famous star-studded 'class of '92'

Old guard: Phil Neville (left) and Ryan Giggs are now part of Moyes' coaching staff at Old Trafford

THE HOMEGROWN TALENTS

JESSE LINGARD - 20



Where does he play? Very much a modern winger, Warrington-born Lingard combines impressive dribbling ability with intelligent running off the ball, drifting inside off the left flank to find himself in goalscoring positions. The Englishman is capable of playing on either wing or in the number ‘10’ role in behind a frontman.

What’s he achieved? An FA Youth Cup winners’ medal in 2011 was followed by something of a halt in his progression and Lingard was ineffectual during a difficult loan spell at Leicester last season. Sir Alex Ferguson and United’s youth coaches have been patient with Lingard as he has developed his physique in the last couple of years, with David Moyes now reaping the rewards.



Pointing it out: The form for Lingard has been a major plus point for United on their pre-season tour

Lingard has scored 3 goals in 2 starts on United’s pre-season tour, and scored the first goal of the Moyes era against the A-League All-Stars in Sydney. His pace has been an exciting and valuable outlet on the counter-attack and his speed of passing has shown all the signs of being coached the United way. Surprisingly, he is yet to be capped at any level by England.



What about this season? Four goals on his debut says it all. Although he had hoped to break straight into the first-team plans at Old Trafford like Januzaj, if he can keep up the form in the rest of his month's switch to St. Andrews it won't do hm any harm.



Fun fact? Lingard was born and bred in Warrington, just 15 miles away from United’s Old Trafford home.

What they say...’Jesse played well tonight. I was hoping he would get a hat-trick. For a young boy to get that at Manchester United is a big thing. He set up Robin for his goal with a nicely weighted pass, he worked really hard and showed a lot of maturity. It is good.’ - David Moyes after Lingard scored twice in Australia.

What he says...’I believe in myself but I have to start believing in myself more. That is what the coaches have been telling me. I have to know what my game’s about and keep scoring.’

ADNAN JANUZAJ - 18

Where does he play? He is one of those very current and fashionable ‘floating’ midfield players, operating in the hole behind a forward. He can play centrally or out wide and drift inside into the gaps – and is not hugely dissimilar in style to United’s own Shinji Kagawa.



He has excellent vision and awareness and has that knack of instinctively seeking out space and angles amongst the gangs of opponents. The left-footer is also a superb taker of set-pieces.

What’s he achieved? The Kosovan-born Belgian made the bench for Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game in charge away to West Bromwich Albion in May. He has also been one of the most impressive performers on United’s tour, attracting praise from David Moyes and Ryan Giggs. Barcelona have registered an interest in the player, too, with Januzaj’s current deal set to expire at the end of next season. United must tie him down.



Starlet: Adnan Januzaj has been a regular feature of United's pre-season tour under Moyes

What about this season? In a mixed bag for David Moyes in his start to life at Old Trafford, the emergence of Januzaj has been a beacon of hope. His sole league appearance was a promising cameo in the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, but fans left scratching their heads at the Etihad stadium may have been wondering where the youngster's brand of ingenuity was.



Fun fact? He shares the same birthday, February 5, as former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar. No pressure, lad.

What they say...Sir Alex Ferguson: ‘Adnan is a beautifully balanced player. He’s only 18 and still to grow into his frame. But he has good balance, good acceleration and he’s a very good technical player.’

What he says...’Ever since I was five, I’ve loved to play football and always had the ball at my feet. I am just trying to make a career in it because I really love football and I hope to keep going and do something for the future.’

MICHAEL KEANE - 20

Where does he play? Keane is a talented centre-half, composed with the ball at his feet and has an intelligent reading of the game. He still lacks the stature and power of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, but with the right work in the gym, he could soon emerge as a a valuable defensive option for David Moyes.

What’s he achieved? He spent the second half of last season on loan at Leicester City, where he was nominated for the club’s end of season Player of the Year award. He also started both of Manchester United’s Capital One Cup games last season, and performed well despite United going down 5-4 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He has appeared for England at u-17, u-18, u-19 and u-21 level. He is on United’s pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East and has made two appearances so far.



Promising: Centre-half Michael Keane could emerge as a valuable option for Moyes in the future

What about this season? Keane is still at United but looking for a loan move. Blackburn are interested in taking the defender on after he impressed for England Under-21s against Moldova earlier this month.



Fun fact? He has a twin brother who also plays for United called Will. Could they be the new Neville brothers?

What they say... Leicester manager Nigel Pearson: ‘He has a bright future in the game. He is very highly regarded by Manchester United. It’s an important time for him and he does give us quite a bit of quality.’

What he says... ’Leicester was a great experience for me. I played every game since I went there in January. It’s been tough for me physically but I have learned how to cope with my body and perhaps play against different types of strikers. I think I have definitely improved in my time there and I think I’ve done very well.’

WILL KEANE - 20

Where does he play? A striker and one of the most clinical finishers at the club. He is deadly inside the penalty area and has also been likened to former United man Teddy Sheringham in his style.

What’s he achieved? Sir Alex Ferguson had planned to bring Keane into his first-team squad last season, only for the young forward to suffer a cruciate knee ligament injury playing for the England under-21 side last summer.



He had previously appeared off the substitutes bench with United chasing a late equaliser in a 2-3 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers on New Years Eve of 2011. Keane won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2010 and scored a hat-trick in an FA Youth Cup semi-final in 2011. After missing the entirety of last season through injury, the 20-year-old is playing catch-up but remains a hugely promising prospect.



Seeing double: Will Keane, Michael's brother, is one of the most clinical finishers on United's books

What about this season? Keane finally made his comeback from his cruciate injury in United Under-21's 4-1 over Bolton earlier this month. He will stay at Old Trafford this season as he aims to continue his recovery and stake a claim for first-team involvement.



Fun fact? Despite being of Irish ancestry, the Keanes are of no relation to angry namesake and United legend Roy.

What they say... Sir Alex Ferguson upon learning of Keane’s injury: ‘I’m very, very disappointed for the lad. He was in the first team squad for next season.’

What he says... ’I always aim to be top scorer but usually just look at them at the end of the season. My aim going into every game is to try to score and then take it from there. I’ve always been a striker, always played up front going for the glory!’

JACK BARMBY - 18

Where does he play? Again a versatile attacking player, comfortable as a second striker or on the flanks. He is capable of producing the extraordinary, with real power in his shooting. He has a strong and dominant build, and allies his strength with technical poise.

What’s he achieved? The 18-year-old has been at Manchester United since July 2008 and has represented England Under 19 level, where he has played four times. He finished as the top scorer in the youth team in the 2011/12 season with 13 goals.

Fun fact? Jack is the son of former Everton, Liverpool and England wide player Nicky Barmby.

What they say... manutd.com describe Barmby as ‘Capable of producing the spectacular out of nothing...he is a threat whether out wide or playing down the middle.’

Following in the footsteps: Nick Barmby's son Jack is capable of producing attacks out of nothing