Manchester City take on rivals Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup final on Thursday in what promises to be a fascinating match.
The game kick offs at 7pm at the academy stadium in City’s Etihad campus and a host of youngsters, who could become household names in years to come, will be looking to shine on the big stage.
Here, Daily Mail Sport brings you the six brightest young stars aiming to light up the final…
MANCHESTER CITY UNDER 18s
Xavier Parker (15)
An attacking midfielder who has been compared by scouts to Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze, City were quick to make sure they got to the front of the queue for Parker when he left West Ham back in 2024.
The London-born attacking midfielder became the Youth Cup’s second-youngest scorer this season in a 5-2 demolition job of Arsenal back in January and his journey under Oliver Reiss has been compelling.
A captain at England youth level, Parker’s leadership at such a young age is a trait that stands out to City’s coaches and his impact in this City team’s run to the final, scoring against both Arsenal and Chelsea, cannot be overstated.
City have tried him as a No 9 given his finishing ability, and also played him deeper in a more familiar attacking midfielder role, where he is allowed to carry the ball through the lines and be a menace on the edge of the box.
Whether he starts or is asked to offer a spark off the bench, expect Parker to have a big say in the final.
Xavier Parker of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his side’s fifth goal during the FA Youth Cup fourth-round victory over Arsenal
Teddie Lamb (16)
One of the standout stories in academy football this season.
Lamb pitched up at City last summer having been head-hunted from Leyton Orient, where he had been playing Category 3 football away from many prying eyes.
What has followed since his switch to east Manchester has been nothing short of remarkable, with Lamb establishing himself as one of the best academy forwards in the country.
Lamb’s form saw him score 16 goals in the last 12 Under-18 Premier League games – taking his total for the season to 25, and pipping United’s JJ Gabriel to the Golden Boot – as well as scoring three goals in four Youth Cup appearances en route to the final.
He is a pest for defenders with his ability to press and his physicality and has drawn comparisons with Liam Delap, who also emerged through the City youth system.
Lamb is clinical, he’s clever, opportunistic and scores an array of different goals. Credit where it’s due, this was a scouting masterclass from City.
Teddie Lamb joined City last summer and what has followed has been remarkable, with the forward establishing himself as one of the best academy players in the country
Harrison Miles (17)
City beat Arsenal and many others to the signing of Miles from Southampton last year. That switch generated headlines that few 15-year-olds on the academy circuit could – but it spoke to Miles’ enormous potential.
Miles has already experienced the intensity of first-team training with Pep Guardiola and observers of City’s youth team believe he has taken much of the challenge in his stride. He has played a key role en route to the Youth Cup final.
City are working closely with Miles – a combative player who is embracing the defensive side of the game – to help refine his game as a No 6, and giving him plenty of homework studying footage of Rodri.
That Miles was held back with the Under 18s while others moved on to the Under 21s was not a slight on him, but rather a way to allow him to be the main man in the team – something that City did with Nico O’Reilly, for example, with great success.
A fabulous passer who is getting arguably the finest education in the country at City with Guardiola in his ear, for Miles, the sky is the limit.
City are working hard to develop the game of Harrison Miles, a combative player who is embracing the defensive side of the game and regularly studies footage of Rodri
MANCHESTER UNITED UNDER 18s
JJ Gabriel (15)
The star of the show across the two sides.
Gabriel is a player deservedly earning endless superlatives after a season in which he goes into the Youth Cup final with 28 goals and 11 assists to his name across all competitions.
Playing three years up from his age group, Gabriel has dominated at Under-18 level and has shown versatility, playing on the left wing, as a false No 9 and also in his preferred position as a playmaker at No 10.
Gabriel has added the responsibility of being the penalty taker to his repertoire in recent months and it is difficult to find many faults in his game at this stage of his development, leaving staff at United blown away by what many see as world-class potential.
He has also been called up with increasing regularity in recent weeks to train with the first team, spending time this week working closely with Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Co.
He will go into the showpiece Youth Cup final against Manchester City well rested after sitting out United’s penultimate league game, albeit returning for the final game in a bid to overthrow Lamb as the league’s top scorer.
JJ Gabriel is the star of the show across both sides and is so well thought of he is playing three years up from his age group
Noah Ajayi (17)
You can make a case that Ajayi has one of the most first-team ready physical profiles in this Under-18 side.
The German youth international has shown every ounce of his strength, pace and trickery under Darren Fletcher this season and proved to be the standout player in the Under-18 Premier League Cup final at Selhurst Park last month before being forced off with a dead leg. His withdrawal was when that game swung in Crystal Palace’s favour.
One of the benefits of moving Gabriel inside is that Ajayi can play off the left and the first-year scholar relishes one-versus-one match-ups where he can twist defenders inside and out, and cut inside before finishing.
He has already featured for Germany Under 19s and Manchester United’s Under 21s as staff at the club look to test him in tougher environments to see how he copes.
Ajayi is the most improved player during the 2025-26 season and looks to have put himself firmly in the frame to win a spot in this summer’s first team pre-season tour squad.
Noah Ajayi can play off the left and relishes one-versus-one match-ups where he can twist defenders inside and out
Jim Thwaites (18)
Perhaps the player in this group that feels the most likely to break into the first team before the season draws to a close.
Despite having a diminutive frame and a style that is more typical of midfielders in Spain, rather than here in England where everything is much more physical, Thwaites continues to raise the bar.
Thwaites, who is being developed into a tempo-setting No 6, was drafted in to first-team training under Ruben Amorim and he has remained on the radar ever since, winning a place on the first team-bench only recently for the trip to Chelsea.
Jim Thwaites is one of the finest set-piece takers in academy football and United have benefitted immensely from both his corner and free-kick deliveries
One of his greatest strengths that he has shown throughout this run to the FA Youth Cup final is his composure when pressured, one of the few willing to take the ball in tight spaces and play through the opponent’s press.
He is also one of the finest set-piece takers in academy football and United have benefitted immensely from both his corner and free-kick deliveries. Albert Mills’ header to open the scoring away to Oxford United from a Thwaites corner stands out.
‘Mini Beckham’ got the better of City in the league earlier this season when he scored a sublime free-kick. Now he’s out to repeat that trick in youth football’s most important game.
