The Future is Bright: Darron Gibson (Pt 1/7)

Manchester United have a truly impressive youth academy. In recent years they have produced many players now playing first team football for great clubs. These include Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea, Giuseppe Rossi, Ryan Shawcross. All of these players have represented their country and as well as these talents there is Gerard Pique, the Barcelona centre back who won the world cup with country Spain earlier this year and was an ever-present in a team packed with talent. 

Darron Gibson - the young United starlet

Darron Gibson, the Irish central midfielder, is currently one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League. When the never-ageing Paul Scholes (another extremely successful academy graduate) got injured, this gave Gibson a chance to prove himself in the first team last year he took it with both hands. The commanding central midfielder has been likened to the great Scholes and if he lives up to that expectation then he will undoubtedly be one of the finest central midfielders the  Premier League has ever seen. Last season he managed to make 23 first team appearances in all competitions, scoring an impressive 5 goals along the way. Like Scholes during his prime, the midfield general will be looking to score at least 10 goals a season to add some bite to the midfield that the red devils have missed in the absence of 'the ginger prince'.He has been likened to Scholes because of many qualities, mainly because of his tireless energy, enthusiasm in a tackle and a brilliant long distance shot. The young 22 year old has already represented the Republic of Ireland 9 times with the promise of many more. Having worked along side Scholes whilst coming through into the first team, Sir Alex Ferguson could have someone to finally replace the place of the United legend, though they are big boots to fill. This season the Irish international may even be pushing to displace the 'ever-dependant' Fletcher or Scholes if his fitness levels mean that he cannot make it through the whole season. Although Ferguson may choose to wait and use him as a replacement in the case of injury/suspension or loss of form and in competitions such as the League cup where he can gain first team experience. Either way, Gibson looks a great prospect for the future and will almost certainly be at the front of United's plans in the next few years, as Scholes was 15 years ago. He is certainly one to watch.