His inclusion in the tour squad was therefore somewhat surprising. If he was covering the left side then it was surprising he’d been picked ahead of the versatile Vermijl and if he was covering centre back then it seemed bizarre that Thorpe hadn’t been selected first. When it became clear that van Gaal wants to use Blackett as one of three centre backs his inclusion made a bit more sense – if there’s one thing Blackett has over Thorpe it’s pace and that appears a vital attribute for our defenders.

Under David Moyes there were no first team opportunities for Keane but he had a couple of two month loan spells at Derby and Blackburn – the latter particularly impressive and upon returning to United in May he was named on the bench by Ryan Giggs for a Premier League game against Hull. Keane is held in very high regard by the club and has been praised on numerous occasions by first team players.

He joined Carlisle on loan in the summer of 2013 but after just two appearances he returned to United due to injury. He stayed at United for the remainder of the season and became a crucial player for the U21s, playing more minutes than any other player. Although mainly used at left back he showed his versatility by playing left wing and a holding central midfield role too. Surprisingly for a fullback he didn’t claim any assists but his performances were incredibly consistent, never lower than a 7/10 if a rating system had been used. He balanced defence with attack perfectly, never shirking from his responsibilities as a defender but still managing to use the ball as well as a midfielder. By mid-season, Warren Joyce had handed him the captaincy and he was unlucky to lose out in a fan vote to Saidy Janko for the Reserve Player of the Year award – Janko almost certainly winning it on the basis that his name was more familiar to fans than James’.