Charlie Corbett picks the ones to watch

Published: 3 March, 2016

WITH Manchester United’s unknown striker Marcus Rashford scoring twice at Old Trafford to dent Arsenal’s title bid on Sunday – I couldn’t help wondering what treasures the Gunners have tucked away. 

I went along to Meadow Park on Monday night to watch their Under-21s draw 1-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. And tomorrow (Friday) I will be at the Emirates Stadium to see Arsenal’s Under-18s take on Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup. 

The Under-21s have been in fine form, pushing their unbeaten run in Division Two of the Premier League to six games – leaving them five points behind leaders Derby, with three games in hand. 

With seven games to go and promotion within their sights, the Young Guns are doing their best to prove to manager Arsene Wenger that they are worthy of a place in the first team. But for now, the question is, are they playing at a high enough level to ever get a call from Wenger in the same way that United boss Louis van Gaal called upon Rashford? 

Jeff Reine-Adelaide ghosts past Coventry City’s Tom Bayliss in the FA Youth Cup

Arsenal’s Under-21s were relegated from Division One of the Premier League in 2014. 

With that, they swapped playing the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and even fierce rivals Tottenham for somewhat less glamorous sides like Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Stoke City. 

So, while United pick from an Under-21s side who are the defending champions in Division One, Arsenal are sitting on nine wins, four draws and two defeats from their 15 games in the second tier. 

Wenger has currently found space for five players in the first team who have come through the Under-21s in the shape of Kieran Gibbs, Hector Bellerin, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Alex Iwobi. 

Is the club’s current crop of young stars up to scratch? Some would suggest not. How can they be when they’re not even playing in the top flight of their own footballing pyramid? 

Defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik, who signed from Legia Warsaw for a reported £2million in January 2015, and more attack-minded midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide, who signed from RC Lens in August 2015, are the exceptions, along with Donyell Malen, who scored the opening goal in the draw against Wolves. The Dutch striker is certainly catching the eye following his move from Ajax last summer. 

Bielik, Reine-Adelaide and Malen are crying out to play at a higher level and are expected to be drafted into Wenger’s squad next season – if only for League Cup games. That is unless Wenger sends them out on loan, like he’s done with 11 other players this season. 

After losing to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup in November, Wenger said he’d never use the competition as an excuse to hold players back. 

“It’s difficult to block them until November and not let them go out on loan just because you have a League Cup game,” he said. “I think about the development of the player and the fact that they are at an age where they need regular competition.” 

With that, the answer became clear – if you want to see Arsenal’s emerging young talent, you need to search around the lower leagues.