The FA Youth Cup final is upon us this week in which Manchester United will host Nottingham Forest in a showpiece event at Old Trafford in front of a 60,000 strong crowd.
The annual U-18 competition is one of the longest-running youth tournaments in English football and has been proven to be a crucial stepping-stone in the development of some major names.
The United Class of 92 got their name for winning the 1992 FA Youth Cup with David Beckham, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs all starring for the Red Devils that year in the competition. And for Arsenal, the tournament has also been crucial.
Whilst the Gunners have not made the final since 2018 in which they were trounced 7-1 by Chelsea on aggregate, numerous players from that squad have gone on to develop into huge first-team names, and here at HITC Sport, we take a look at the XI from the second-leg.
GK – Joao Virginia
Starting a UEFA Champions League match before making a Premier League XI is quite an impressive feat for a 22-year-old, yet that’s exactly what Joao Virginia has managed since leaving Arsenal.
Signing for Everton in 2018, the Portuguese youth international this season joined Sporting Lisbon on loan where the promising goalkeeper started in the Champions League against Ajax, with Virginia likely to depart Goodison Park for good this summer.
RB – Vontae Daley-Campbell
Arsenal have something of a talent when it comes to developing right-backs, yet for Vontae Daley-Campbell, the Lambeth-born defender didn’t make the cut in north London with the Gunners releasing the fullback in 2019.
However, the 21-year-old has since joined Leicester City, with Daley-Campbell currently spending the season with Dundee after joining the Scottish side on loan in the January transfer window.
CB – Daniel Ballard
The first of five Arsenal players to still be at the club four years on from the 2018 FA Youth Cup final, Daniel Ballard has developed well in the past two seasons with both Blackpool and Millwall, with the defender now a 13-cap international with Northern Ireland.
22-years-old and full of potential, Arsenal face a tough decision with Ballard’s future this summer given how much depth the Gunners could have in the centre-back position next season, yet the defender won’t be short of suitors should he decide to leave north London.
CB – Joseph Olowu
Another defender who was released by Arsenal just a few years after the FA Youth Cup final to Chelsea, Joseph Olowu currently finds himself as a regular with Doncaster Rovers after joining the League One side last summer.
Despite a trial at Manchester United as reported by the Manchester Evening News, Olowu instead opted to join Rovers this summer, a career move that has proven to be an exceptional decision from the Nigerian youngster despite Doncaster’s relegation down to League Two.
LB – Dominic Thompson
A player many tipped to become a regular for Arsenal in the future, Dominic Thompson departed north London just one year after the FA Youth Cup final loss to Chelsea, with the defender joining Brentford.
Impressing at Ipswich Town this season, the fullback is likely to get his Premier League chance next season with the Bees, with the 21-year-old this campaign looking ready for the next step up in his promising career.
CM – James Olayinka
For a while, James Olayinka looked set to become the latest exciting midfield talent to emerge from Arsenal’s academy, yet injuries and a lack of opportunities have seen the 21-year-old’s hope of playing for the Gunners dwindle.
Whilst the youngster has impressed this season at U-23 level, Olayinka will likely leave Arsenal this summer in search of a new home where the talented midfielder will be able to play regular top-level football.
CM – Robbie Burton
Robbie Burton caused excitement amongst Arsenal fans in 2019 after being named captain of the U-23 side. However, just a few months later, the Wales youth international was gone after joining Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb.
A very left-field move yet one that has proven to be smart, Burton has been a regular for Dinamo this season both domestically and in Europe, and the midfielder will be looking to improve more next year with the Prva HNL side.
RM – Xavier Amaechi
The scorer of Arsenal’s only goal in their two-legs against Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final and once viewed as one of the Gunners’ most exciting talents, Xavier Amaechi left north London in 2019 for an ambitious move to German giants Hamburg SV.
However, despite the move looking like a smart one on paper, the 21-year-old winger has failed to develop much since making the move to Europe, with Amaechi spending this season mostly on the injury table on loan at Bolton Wanderers.
CAM – Emile Smith Rowe
One of two players from this FA Youth Cup final XI to become a full member of Arsenal’s senior squad, Emile Smith Rowe has blossomed this season for the Gunners into one of the side’s most potent attackers.
Despite being labelled as a playmaker during his time in the youth academy, Smith Rowe has this year asserted himself as one of Arsenal’s best finishers, with the versatile attacker one of the club’s highest scorers and now an England international.
LM – Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was a player from Hale End who everyone knew would become something special, and now aged 20, the Arsenal superstar is one of the north London club’s most important players and a national darling for England.
The winger has been sensational since breaking into the Arsenal first-team under Unai Emery, and despite playing just three seasons of football for the seniors, Saka has already played well over 100 games for the Gunners, with many more expected to come.
ST – Tyreece John-Jules
The fifth and final player in this XI to still be at Arsenal, Tyreece John-Jules has long been tipped for a big future with the Gunners, with the England U-21 striker impressing at youth level for many years now.
However, loan spells at the likes of Lincoln City, Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday over the years have proven unsuccessful for the striker, and John-Jules is slowly running out of time to impress those at Arsenal if he is to remain in north London.
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