Goals from Shrimpers youth Michael Ngoo and Etzaz Hussain enabled Man. U. to retain the Under-16 Milk Cup in Northern Ireland Saturday after a 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
Ngoo will be hoping he gets offered a contract with the Premiership club's academy which should bring some much appreciated funds into the Southend Centre of Excellence.
The 16 year-old is already 6ft4 and has raised comparisons with the Spurs and England centre-forward Peter Crouch.
Luke Hobbs, the Shrimpers Centre of Excellence manager, spoke of Ngoo to the official site: "Michael has improved so much during the last 12 months. He is effective in the air and a good finisher. Michael is a coach's dream. When Dean Austin, (Reading assistant manager and ex-Southend reserve team coach), watched this team play against QPR before Christmas his opinion was that Michael was very similar to Peter Crouch when Crouch was a scholar at Tottenham and Austin was a pro there. Michael is a player with so much potential."
032Devil on redcafe.net added: "He looked pretty impressive during the Milk Cup, good feet and good vision. He was a little raw and wasteful at times, but overall gave a good impression, none more so than in the final with a neatly taken goal and a great assist."
Looks like Michael is assured a promising future.