Man United’s ‘mini David Beckham and Harry Maguire’ open up on handling social media hype, chasing down a historic Treble – and reveal the club’s two ‘standout’ first-team mentors

First up is Dan Armer, who tries to keep his laughter under control. It doesn’t take long for the infectious smile to spread to teammate Jim Thwaites a few meters away.

Armer has become the rising star labeled a ‘mini Maguire’, while Thwaites, one of the best set-piece tacklers in youth football anywhere in the country, has been dubbed a ‘mini Beckham’.

“Honestly, I’ve seen comparisons to like Harry Maguire,” says Armer, who likes Maguire to play at left centre-back, before being overcome by laughter.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to be like him, right?’ Thwaites talks David Beckham connections.

‘Of course I’ve seen some things on social media, but I’m just trying to stay grounded about it and focus on my own performance before looking at those things. Not a bad comparison though!’

Both are here to speak to journalists ahead of tonight’s Under-18 Premier League Cup final against Crystal Palace.

Jim Thwaites (left) and Dan Armer (right) give their first media interviews as United players

Two academy stars name Bruno Fernandes as highly valued first team mentor

Both are making a lot of noise behind the scenes at United. His performances did not go unnoticed by Michael Carrick and his team and Thwaites even made his Chelsea debut on Saturday.

‘I was honestly very excited when I heard this news. [of the call-up]Thwaites, 18, explains:

‘I’m just trying to learn as much as possible from the pros because that’s where you want to be realistic, like grasp everything. Get all the information and stuff like that from them, so it was good. ‘I really enjoyed it.’

United staff are reluctant to over-expose academy players to media duties as they want to allow youngsters to still develop many aspects of their lives.

However, when this exercise is reviewed and reflected upon, the maturity shown by both players during this candid meeting will further underline why they were both given multiple opportunities to train with the first team.

Armer and Thwaites have been standout players for the Under-18s this season and have plenty of experience at Under-21 level as well; Here the physicality gets even more intense before another giant leap forward is expected for the senior team.

Mentors are crucial to helping close this gap. That’s what Harry Amass pointed out after his breakthrough last season. This is what Shea Lacey refers to insiders. Another name to come off the conveyor belt in the last 12 months is Tyler Fletcher, who has featured alongside first-team players in his position such as Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.

‘You can take pieces from the entire A team and even the staff,’ says Armer.

‘They will come to you and give you little tips that you can focus on. So I think it’s really helpful to get all the information from different players and staff.’

For Thwaites, Lisandro Martinez in particular has become one of his greatest allies. ‘Butcher’ became ‘Mentor’.

Thwaites gains more experience with Michael Carrick making debut in recent weeks

18-year-old technical midfielder stakes his claim for involvement at higher level

‘To be fair they’re all really good,’ Thwaites says of Michael Carrick’s first team group.

‘Obviously the one that stands out for me is Bruno [Fernandes] Martinez is also really good. I’d say those are the main two, but as a whole he’s really good with kids.’

As Manchester United captain, a responsibility that falls on Armer’s shoulders at under-18 level, Fernandes takes on many self-imposed responsibilities to ease the transition for young players.

Academy sources revealed that during last year’s end-of-season tour – a trip that left Armer in a difficult situation with his mother after disrupting a family holiday – it was particularly notable how much effort Fernandes put into guiding, mentoring and getting to know the academy players, along with many of the players who made up Ruben Amorim’s traveling squad for that trip.

Thwaites says of Fernandes’ approach: ‘He’ll take you to the side of the pitch and talk to you and make sure you’re okay.

‘He will also encourage you on the field and let you know that the standard here is the standard you should aspire to achieve; but it also helps you get to that level. It really helps both on and off the field.

‘He wants to make a joke about you trying to help or something and help you feel a little more comfortable in the group,’ Armer, who is also 18, interjects.

Thwaites was full of praise for the work new academy director Stephen Torpey has done since his arrival from Brentford and the indirect impact he has had on Carrick’s Under-18 and Under-21 training sessions.

“It’s really good to see him there because it makes everyone try that little bit harder to impress,” Armer says of Carrick, who has made an effort to attend as many Under-18 games as possible since taking over. ‘It definitely helps when he comes and watches training.’

Armer has drawn comparisons to first team defender Harry Maguire, whom he enjoys

Darren Fletcher will rely on Armer and Thwaites as he claims his first trophy as manager

United’s Under-18s remain in contention for the domestic treble by playing in the Under-18 Premier League Cup final this evening and will follow up next month’s FA Youth Cup final by beating tonight’s opponents Crystal Palace at Old Trafford last Friday.

‘This club is about trophies,’ says Thwaites, barely suppressing a smile at the thought of getting his hands on silverware this week.

‘These are the things you want to aim for and strive for at the start of the season. So spending nights like this means everything then. It’s about competing and winning trophies.’

“We have this drilled into us from a young age,” Armer interjects.

‘When we’re younger we talk a lot during sessions about the history of the club and stuff like that, so I think everyone knows about it and I think it adds even more to it.’

‘Mini-Maguire’ and ‘mini-Beckham’ will get the chance to make some of their own United history in South East London on Wednesday night as Darren Fletcher searches for his first trophy as manager.

It’s time to put all the advice from Fernandes and Martinez together to add another trophy to United’s cabinet.