The Manchester United starlet is exciting his club with a series of impressive performances alongside fellow emerging talents JJ Gabriel and Kai Rooney
Noah Ajayi (R) is noticeably taller than a lot of his United team-mates(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Manchester United’s academy appears to be in rude health, with Noah Ajayi firmly in contention alongside Kai Rooney and JJ Gabriel as ones to watch for the future. The 17-year-old’s ascent has been nothing short of astonishing, with the German-born youngster actually making his debut for the club’s under-21s before he played for the under-18s.
Comfortable at left-wing or in the centre-forward role, Ajayi stands at 6’2″. He towers above many of his team-mates, including Gabriel, 15, and Rooney, 16, standing at approximately 5’5″ and 5’9″ respectively, albeit with plenty of time to grow.
Ajayi has perhaps gone somewhat under the radar due to the rapid rise of Gabriel, who has already been in first-team training, and Rooney, who has a keen eye on him for his goalscoring ability, one reminiscent of his father, United legend Wayne Rooney.
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The youngster moved to England aged 10 and has showcased an aptitude for dribbling, remarkable close control, and an eye for the back of the net. Ajayi has five goals in 16 games in all competitions so far this season.
He has scored in three consecutive games last month, bagging against Wolves and converting a brace against Derby County in the U18 Premier League. Prior to those fixtures, he scored for the under-18s in their 4-1 demolition of Oxford United in the FA Youth Cup.
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United’s gifted youngsters are now headed to the U18 Premier League Cup final, after a 3-1 win over West Ham United. While Ajayi didn’t score in the game on Wednesday, he was in impressive form.
Talking about the starlet’s rise, the Academy Scoop posted on X: “He’s really taken a big step up in 2026 and has emerged as one of the biggest talents in his age group.”
While Ajayi is becoming one to watch, it’s Gabriel who is garnering particular attention. He has 19 goals in all competitions for United this season.
Ajayi is exciting fans with his build and ability(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Rooney has five after missing a chunk of the season, having picked up an injury in September. However, the young forward did net against West Ham midweek.
Such is the excitement around this United crop of youngsters that the club’s interim boss, Michael Carrick, made the 300-mile round trip to Oxford to watch the Youth Cup tie. The 44-year-old has been a visible presence at academy games since his appointment last month.
“Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it,” Carrick told MUTV about his trip to watch the game. “We went down, there was a number of the staff that went down and yeah it was always something we were trying to do and as much as we can, we’ll do that in between our fixtures.
Gabriel has been banging in the goals while playing well above his age group(Image: Zohaib Alam – MUFC, Manchester United via Getty Images)
Rooney is on the comeback trail after suffering an injury last year(Image: Getty Images)
“In the Youth Cup, I’ve got great memories personally of the Youth Cup when I was younger. [It is] such an important competition and so for us to go and watch, it’s good to get our eyes on some of the younger players and how they’re doing.
“For them to feel that connection. I was really pleased with Colin [Little] and Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and the boys and I thought they played really well in tough conditions, actually. So to get a good result and move on was a good night.”
Next up for United’s Under 18s is a clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, March 7, with kick-off set for 12pm.
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