Louis van Gaal vs Jose Mourinho: How current Man Utd manager's youth record embarrasses potential successor

The current Manchester United manager is much more supportive of youth than the man tipped to replace him at Old Trafford

Jose Mourinho (GETTY IMAGES)

Jose Mourinho's record of giving academy graduates a chance in the first team pales in comparison to Louis van Gaal's, the man he is tipped to replace as manager of Manchester United.

In recent weeks Van Gaal has been commended for putting his faith in graduates from Manchester United's youth academy. The club boast a tradition of utilising their younger players, at times to great success.

Yet despite the rare positive atmosphere at Old Trafford on Sunday when Marcus Rashford scored a brace on his Premier League debut against Arsenal, Van Gaal is still expected to depart the club this summer.

The man tipped to replace him is Jose Mourinho - the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto manager famed for winning trophies but not strongly associated with bringing young players through.

Research by the Independent shows that Mourinho's record of giving academy graduates a chance at Chelsea in his most recent spell is dreadful when compared to Van Gaal's two seasons at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has given 14 Manchester United graduates a break since taking charge in the summer of 2014, much more than Mourinho who gave just five Chelsea graduates their debut, a period of time covering two seasons and five months.

We take a look at those given a chance below...

CHELSEA ACADEMY PLAYERS GIVEN DEBUTS BY MOURINHO - 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 (up until 17 December)

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - December 2014

Just signed a new deal at the club having made a total of eight Premier League appearances since his debut.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (GETTY IMAGES)

Andreas Christensen - October 2014

Made just the one league appearance and enjoyed two starts in the cups. Currently on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

​Andreas Christensen (GETTY IMAGES)

John Swift - May 2014

Made his debut after coming on for Eden Hazard in the dying moments of a win over Cardiff. Has been out on loan since.

John Swift (GETTY IMAGES)

Lewis Baker - January 2014

One FA Cup appearance in a Third Round tie with Derby was followed by loans to Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons and most recently with Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem.

Lewis Baker (GETTY IMAGES)

Dominic Solanke - October 2014

A 17 minute substitute appearance in the Champions League is Solanke's only appearance for Chelsea. Also on loan at Vitesse Arnhem this season.

Dominic Solanke (GETTY IMAGES)

MANCHESTER UNITED ACADEMY PLAYERS GIVEN DEBUTS BY VAN GAAL - 2014/15 and 2015/16 (up until 1 March)