Man Utd starlet turning heads with Rooney is 6’2″ forward in hot form | Football | Sport
Noah Ajayi is causing waves of excitement at Man Utd (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United’s youth set-up appears to be thriving, with Noah Ajayi firmly on the radar alongside Kai Rooney and JJ Gabriel as prospects to monitor for the future. The 17-year-old’s progress has been remarkable, with the German-born talent actually featuring for the club’s under-21s before representing the under-18s.
Versatile on the left flank or as a central striker, Ajayi stands at 6’2″. He towers above many of his colleagues, including 15-year-old Gabriel and 16-year-old Rooney, who measure around 5’5″ and 5’9″ respectively, though still with time to grow. Ajayi has perhaps flown somewhat beneath the radar owing to Gabriel’s meteoric emergence, having already trained with the senior squad, and Rooney, who attracts attention for his finishing prowess reminiscent of his father, United icon Wayne.
The teenager relocated to England aged 10 and has demonstrated a talent for dribbling, technical ability and a nose for goal. Ajayi has netted five times in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
He found the net in three successive matches last month, once against Wolves and twice against Derby County in the U18 Premier League. Before those games, he got on the scoresheet in their 4-1 thrashing of Oxford United in the FA Youth Cup.
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
United’s talented youngsters have progressed to the U18 Premier League Cup final following a 3-1 victory against West Ham United. Whilst Ajayi didn’t find the net during Wednesday’s encounter, his performance was notably impressive.
Discussing the youngster’s development, the Academy Scoop said on X: “He’s really taken a big step up in 2026 and has emerged as one of the biggest talents in his age group.”
Ajayi has been in scoring form of late (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Whilst Ajayi is establishing himself as an emerging prospect, it’s Gabriel who’s widely being earmarked for stardom. He’s accumulated 19 goals across all competitions for United this term.
Rooney has managed five after missing a substantial portion of the campaign, having sustained an injury in September. Nevertheless, the young striker did score against West Ham in midweek.
Such is the anticipation surrounding this United generation that the club’s caretaker manager, Michael Carrick, undertook the 300-mile round journey to Oxford to observe the Youth Cup fixture. The 44-year-old has been a regular attendee at academy matches since taking charge last month.
“Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it,” Carrick told MUTV regarding his trip to observe the match. “We went down, there was a number of the staff that went down and yeah it was always something we were trying to do and as much as we can, we’ll do that in between our fixtures.
Gabriel is attracting plenty of attention with his goals (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
“In the Youth Cup, I’ve got great memories personally of the Youth Cup when I was younger. [It is] such an important competition and so for us to go and watch, it’s good to get our eyes on some of the younger players and how they’re doing.
“For them to feel that connection. I was really pleased with Colin [Little] and Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and the boys and I thought they played really well in tough conditions, actually. So to get a good result and move on was a good night.”
United’s Under 18s are set to face Nottingham Forest next on Saturday, with the match kicking off at 12pm.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
