Ethan Wheatley’s already a Man Utd history-maker but stunning rise including Liverpool heroics shows he could be a star
ETHAN WHEATLEY’S place in the Manchester United history books is secure after a week he will never forget.
But there are hopes around Old Trafford that the 18-year-old forward is going to be a knock-out for them in future.
On Tuesday night he scored the two goals which helped the Red Devils clinch the Premier League Under 18s cup final against Manchester City.
The club’s new technical director Jason Wilcox was in the stands at Leigh Sports Village and must have been impressed.
And just 24 hours later, Wheatley was called off the bench for his first team debut in stoppage time of the 4-2 win over Sheffield United.
In doing so, the Stockport born forward became the 250th academy graduate to play for the United first team – a real milestone for the club.
Yet anyone who follows the junior teams at Carrington will know he has been making headlines for some time now with his goal-scoring and quality.
Earlier this season he was singled out for some rough treatment in a game against old rivals Liverpool – so took his revenge in the best possible way.
He scored a hat-trick in a 9-1 rout in the return fixture and marked one of his goals with the boxing celebration.
It was the same one made famous by a certain Wayne Rooney – which saw him fall to the ground in front of his team-mates.
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The youngster clearly knows his United history. He was also thrilled when he got to meet Cristiano Ronaldo behind the scenes at Carrington in 2022 – before his second spell at United turned sour.
Wheatley only signed professional terms with United in January but had already been training with the first team for a few months by then.
As well as his hauls against City and Liverpool, he scored four in a game against Southampton Under 18s earlier this season.
A quick and skilful striker, he is comfortable with either foot and is known for his sharp turns in the box.
Despite being over 6ft 1in tall and a typical No9 in many ways, he has the pace and a trick to go past defenders.
Some have compared him to ex England forward Danny Welbeck, who showed such promise during his early days a United.
Already there has been interest from lower league clubs interested in taking him on loan but these have been rebuffed so far.
United plan to take him on their pre-season tour to the US – particularly as several players will be missing due to international commitments, while Anthony Martial will be gone.
He has already represented England at Under 17 level – winning his first cap against Poland a couple of years ago.
But whether he is one for Three Lions fans to get excited about remains to be seen – as he regularly displays a Malaysian flag on his social media posts.
This is the homeland of one of his grandmothers and the family have regularly visited Kuala Lumpur during his childhood.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes welcomed Wheatley onto the pitch for his debut on Wednesday and vowed to do everything he could to get him on the scoresheet.
The young striker revealed: “Bruno pulled me to the side and said: ‘I’ve got nine minutes to try and get you a goal!’
“So I was just trying to get in that position for him and obviously it didn’t come, but hopefully soon.”
It wasn’t to be but United fans are hoping to see much more of him in the future.
And Fernandes insisted afterwards that Wheatley was there on merit and not just because of the absentees from ten Hag’s squad.
The United skipper said: “It’s a moment he’ll always remember and we hope he’ll get more chances.
“He gets a chance because the manager trusts him. I tried to give him a goal because I know it’s a massive moment.
“If he gets chances he will get his goals too.”
And it was a special moment for Wheatley regardless of failing to find the back of the net.
Speaking after his debut, he said: “It’s just an honour to make my debut. And that number 250 makes it a little bit extra as well.”
Pundits verdict on Ten Hag's future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag's Manchester United future
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”