How Adam Lawrence is getting the best from Amir Ibragimov as a striker at Man Utd

Amir Ibragimov often gets forgotten about when Manchester United’s best young players are listed, but this season, he has started in excellent form for the U21s.

Manchester United U21 forward Amir Ibragimov has always been considered among the very best talents at Carrington. Ibragimov was considered next to Shea Lacey in terms of potential, and like the current first-teamer, he has had his share of injury problems in recent years.

This season, he is a man on a mission, and Ibragimov has evolved into a striker, which is a profound change from his midfield performances as a U18. While a curious call, Ibragimov has excelled in the role with great finishing, positioning, and movement in the box.

Adam Lawrence comments on the impact Russia call-up had on Amir Ibragimov

Ibragimov has scored three goals this season so far as a number nine, and Adam Lawrence appears to favour the Dagestan-born forward as his number nine.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Lawrence has now explained what he likes about Ibragimov up front. Also, how Ibragimov benefited from senior football with Russia, having been called up in June.

“He learned a lot from going on international duty over the summer.

“He came back with a couple of things in terms of the intensity of the game at that level and some of the details around his game he really wanted to focus on.

“If I look at his levels from the start of the season in terms of the qualities he’s showing, recognising when to drop in, when to run in behind, and being a goal threat, he’s in a good space.”

Ibragimov has looked like a natural up front for United, with proper striker movements and awareness in the box, allowing him to score goals that are fitting of a nine.

Whether this is where he fits in long-term and may actually get first-team football for United remains to be seen. But he is reminding everyone that he has the talent, attitude, and ability to be a success story for the academy.

Ibragimov has refused an international call-up this month to focus on United, and so we fully expect he will be in the first-team training sessions looking to impress Carrick next week.

Ibragimov deserves Manchester United first-team exposure

More than two years ago, Ibragimov was in first-team training for United, viewed as the crown jewel of the academy, having demolished all hurdles on his journey through the academy.

But since then, a mixture of injury and misfortune means he hasn’t had the chance to really kick on and make strides into the first-team. But if he continues to star for the U21s, Michael Carrick will have no choice but to take note of the Russian international.

Ibragimov would suit Carrick’s striker demands right now, being more of a false nine in profile, but with the finishing, work rate, and intelligence to thrive in the position.

United have a real lack of options this season up front, so it would be interesting to see if Ibragimov is seen as a possible option and handed deserved opportunities in the coming months.

This is all hypothetical, but Lawrence is getting the best from Ibragimov right now, and if he keeps scoring, he might just be the next breakout striker in the Premier League.