The name Amir Ibragimov is one that any Manchester United academy fan will be completely familiar with; however, he hasn’t had the rapid rise he showed signs of.
Over the years, Amir Ibragimov has been one of the Manchester United academy players who had fans most excited, with his impressive ability often making him look like a guaranteed world beater.
Ibragimov was training with United’s first team aged 15, showing what a talent he was considered by the club, and still is to this day.
This season has seen big changes to the Russian-born wonderkid, with Ibragimov once being likened in style to Wayne Rooney, but now finds himself almost becoming a Paul Scholes-esque all-action midfielder.
Ibragimov has ‘all the talent in the world’, however, he has almost become a forgotten man under Ruben Amorim.
What is going on with Amir Ibragimov at Manchester United
From a dazzling winger, Ibragimov has reinvented himself into a central midfielder, capable of scoring, assisting, passing, carrying the ball, and doing all the dirty work with his impressive work rate.
However, despite shining for the academy, Ibragimov is not getting the same first-team exposure as his teammates, with the Daily Mail now suggesting this is nothing to be concerned about.
In a Q&A, Nathan Salt admitted that Ibragimov’s lack of minutes has come due to other midfielders like the Fletcher twins and Jim Thwaites being ahead of him.
However, it is also as United staff are playing the long game with Ibragimov, as coaches look to mould him into a tempo-setting midfielder.
This is something that could take time, despite Ibragimov running games for the U18s with the captain’s armband.
At 17, Ibragimov has plenty of time, and his work ethic should see him thrive with the move to midfield.
Darren Fletcher and Travis Binnion are fans of Ibragimov
Ibragimov might not be ready for senior football yet; however, his coaches have spent this season raving about him.
U18 lead coach Darren Fletcher has called Ibragimov ‘fantastic’, admitting that the Dagestan-born star sets the standards for his team.
“He’s [Amir] grown as a leader, I think he’s had leadership capabilities in him, and he’s demanding at times, demanding of himself and of his teammates.
“But I think he’s really grown in terms of taking that responsibility of leading the team and also being empathetic at times and setting the standard himself, and he’s been fantastic. I think he is relishing being captain. He knows he’s got to set the standard with his performance and the rest follows.”
Meanwhile, U21 head coach Travis Binnion labelled Ibragimov a ‘warrior’, backing him to succeed in the new position.
“He’s got all the tools to do (the new position) really well,” Binnion explained..
“He’s intelligent. He’s got stuff to tidy up, but he’s a warrior. If you’re intelligent and a warrior and want to do everything right with and without the ball, then you’re going to cause people problems.”
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