Scoring 100 goals a season and sharing a Roy Keane trait - Dan Gore's Manchester United journey

Man United youngster Dan Gore has made excellent progress over the last 18 months, so the MEN spoke to two of his former coaches at Burnley to discuss his journey to the first-team at Old Trafford.

Dan Gore couldn't help but smile throughout his post-match interview after making his Manchester United debut.

Gore made his senior bow against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup and he fought an excitable grin as he answered questions. The game also coincided with his 19th birthday and his family were present to enjoy the occasion, which Gore described as 'truly special' after growing up supporting the club.

“It tops the list of birthdays," Gore said while trying to keep his composure. "I don’t think words can describe that feeling, seeing the fans, it is everything you’ve dreamed of, coming true. It means everything."

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Gore became the 247th player to make his debut from the academy that night, reward for making excellent progress and convincing Erik ten Hag he was ready.

He trained with the first-team for 12 weeks before his debut and is known to 'train every day like his life depends on it', something which his former coaches at Burnley loved about him.

Although Gore is a Salford-lad and he idolised Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo when he was a kid, he only joined United in 2018, having previously been at Burnley where he played as a forward, not a midfielder.

"He first came through the door when he was seven or eight," Lewis Craig told the Manchester Evening News. "Burnley were very good at recruiting the Scouse and Manc kids and Dan was a raw, inner-city Manchester lad.

"Those types seemed to have that little bit more extra bite than your local kids. He was a forward when he came to us and he’d either play wide left or right or as the number nine and he was the top scorer through his age groups.

"He was quick and very strong for his size. He always had aggression and he was one of the kids who played on the edge, in terms of maybe making the odd bad challenge, but it was interesting because he was always respectful.

"He had great finishing ability in his younger years, one-on-one, going past people and he always had that bit where he was a winner. If he was getting beat, there was nobody on the pitch who hated it more and you could see that fire in him. Dan had that brilliant, real f****** horrible side to him, but he'd always be respectful with coaches and it wasn't a surprise when I saw him three months ago and he ran over and gave me a hug when I hadn’t seen him for years."

Gore joined United at 13 and the decision was made to drop him deeper into midfield. "My last day working for Burnley, I had to deliver his review to his dad," Craig said when asked about his position change.

"Although he was a great striker, I didn’t think he scored poachers goals, like your Harry Kane or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He scored amazing goals and he was off the charts, but I thought he could be a better instinctive finisher.

"I remember his dad saying thank you because all he'd had for a couple of years was people telling him how good he was and nobody had said things to work on. He was prolific and he’d beat a few men and fire one into the top corner, but if someone wrapped a ball across the 18-yard box at speed, he probably didn’t have that instinctive finish in him every time.

"But he worked on it religiously. He always worked on stuff and he was in training early, even as a kid. I never pictured him as a midfielder because although his awareness was decent, it's different playing in that role. He’s developed his awareness now and when I see him driving the ball in midfield, it’s similar to how he played back then."

Mike Hargreaves, who considers Gore as the best young player he's encountered, is another former Burnley coach who worked with the youngster and he spoke to the MEN about that period.

"I worked with Danny at Burnley from Under-9s to Under-12s and I took that age group all the way through, so I worked with him for quite a while, and outside of Burnley with my own coaching," Hargreaves said.

"Some of the things I’ve seen him do for United, he’s been doing since back then. He’s dropped deeper now, but when he played up front for Burnley he'd score over 100 goals each season and I’m not even exaggerating.

"There was a game at Blackburn once when we built possession well, Dan picked the ball up inside his own half and he just started running past people and he ended up finishing it off, which was unbelievable. There was another time when he faced someone up, stopped the ball dead and did the Yannick Bolaise showboating thing when he bent down and flicked the grass, so he had a little bit of cheekiness about him.

"He was a matchwinner and they were a really good group. I always thought It was just a matter of time before United would come in for him and I always expected that. I can’t think of many times he didn't have a good day."

Hargreaves continued: "His real stand-out qualities were he was hard-working, aggressive, he put himself about and he was a really exciting dribbler. He was fantastic with the ball and capable of sprinting repeatedly. His speed endurance was phenomenal, even at those ages. His attitude was great and he was demanding of his teammates and the standards of the session.

"Towards the end of Under-11s, we had a tournament on Blackpool’s pitch and it was a full-day affair. We played United in the final of that and Danny scored. They were just completely top draw that day as a group.

"I remember building up to that tournament for a few weeks and reiterating what we were building up to and you’d see a change in him, almost like a switch being flicked and a refocus. You could see he wanted to win."

The burning desire to improve and win has seen Gore become a member of the first-team squad with Ten Hag in charge and he's worn the captain's armband when playing in academy matches this season.

"He’s captain material I'd say," Craig added. "Almost like your old-school Roy Keane type with hard challenges, but he’s got unbelievable quality on the ball because he was a forward in the past as well.

"In that Under-21 group at United, there have been the likes of Shola Shoretire and Isak Hasen-Aaroen but it seems like there's been something missing in them, which doesn’t seem to be the case with Dan. If you leave him in an environment long enough he thrives and I think it's fair to say that Dan wasn’t a Burnley type of player, in the sense that he was probably beyond Burnley in terms of his ability.

"He would have played for Burnley’s first-team if he was still there and Sean Dyche would have been all over him, but there was always an acceptance of Dan was Salford, Man United and there were murmurings going on in the background. Kids get poached in academies all the time, but I think Burnley got looked after with the deal when he did go over. And I think he was given certain guarantees because United knew the talent they were getting."

Gore was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side in 2022 and although Alejandro Garnacho was the poster boy of that campaign, his partnership with Kobbie Mainoo in midfield was instrumental in the success. More than 60,000 supporters watched the final at Old Trafford and Gore kissed the badge when the full time whistle went. It wasn't a surprise for a boy who used to wear a red thermal vest under his Burnley shirt.

"You can tell what Manchester United means to him when he plays," Craig said. "I went to the Youth Cup final and I just thought he was outstanding, doing the horrible side of the game really well.

"I thought out of possession, Dan was excellent, picking up second balls and showing all the stuff he's added to his game as a midfielder and you can see he's got a real understanding of the game now."

Hargreaves was also in the crowd and he briefly talked to Gore during the celebrations. "I saw him right at the end when they were doing the lap of honour because I was sitting near the front, so I went down and shouted.

"He said 'aaaah Mike!' and I congratulated him, so it was nice to have that moment and I did have to laugh because near the end of the Youth Cup final, he was tapping his head and telling people to focus.

"That’s stuck with me because it’s something I do myself. We had great times at Burnley and he was the star of the group. I’ve got a great relationship with him and his dad, who was always very grateful for us looking after him."

Gore has been on an upward trajectory since and Bruno Fernandes is understood to have been very welcoming to the youngster, taking a hands-on role in his integration into the first-team. Sources have also indicated Jonny Evans has been especially supportive and offered Gore plenty of advice since they started training together in mid-July, which the 19-year-old has appreciated.

"You’re around top players every day at United and you either adapt or die," Craig said. "Even if he ends up making 100 appearances for United in the Premier League or with another club, he'll get the most out of himself.

"Ten Hag has been known for developing youngsters at Ajax and he doesn’t put people in who aren’t good enough. I'm really proud of him and it's lovely when you bump into him, or get a text."

Hargreaves echoed those comments: "It’s been brilliant to see him progress and I’m a United fan myself, so I'm extremely pleased because it's more than he deserves. I genuinely think he embodies what a United player should be, bringing excitement, being hard-working and holding himself in the right way."

Gore recently shaved his head - going for a buzzcut style - and there was a large smile on his face when he revealed his new haircut to his amused teammates at Carrington. That wide grin doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.