by The Manchester United team is on a 14 game winning run. It may be a phrase from a bygone era, but it speaks to a brighter future at Old Trafford. That’s because the teams in question are the under-18s, who beat their counterparts from Liverpool, Manchester City and elsewhere this season to go 17 points clear at the top of the Premier League North Under-18s with a perfect record – 42 points from 14 games.
So, while this season has been a struggle for United’s first team and all that comes with it, amid questions about the club’s leadership on the pitch and in the boardroom, one of the world’s greatest academies has gone from strength to strength quietly.
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United have named an academy graduate in every match squad for over 86 years. It’s a proud record and, thanks to the achievements of the under-18s and the promise given to the younger age groups too, it’s in no danger of ending anytime soon.
Names such as Jayce Fitzgerald, Harry Amass and Shea Lacey will mean little to even die-hard United fans, but the club are confident they are part of an under-18 cohort capable of matching Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – who joined as a member. 16 years old – who has done it in recent years and jumped to first team level.
It is largely the conveyor belt of talent, rather than the winning streak per se, that brings the greatest satisfaction to those within the club. Nick Cox, director of the academy, says: “Our mandate is not to win the league, our mandate is not to win all the cups, it is to develop players who are going to play in our first team.
“Positions and league results are viewed differently at academy level, but it is not ignored. It is an important measure of the development of the groups and how well the coaches are doing.
“We want our boys to be competitive, know how to win and try to win every game. And if you have good coaches and good players, the byproduct is a team that wins regularly. We’re delighted to see the under-18s doing so well and also to see that a lot of people in that group have the ability to continue with us.”
United battle Manchester City to sign the best Mancunian talent but also occasionally take recruits from further afield due to an increase in the academy’s recruitment budget. However, post-Brexit restrictions mean that signing youngsters from abroad is no longer common. Amass, a promising full-back from Watford, was widely popular when United swooped in last summer and produced a heroics for Chelsea.
The work done by Adam Lawrence, who manages the under-18s and acts as the club’s head of player development for under-13s to under-16s, has been revealed by those close to the academy. Some insiders believe the current under-16s could surpass the under-18s in terms of ability, with Amir Ibragimov and Bendito Mantato catching the eye at that level.
Paul McShane and Tom Huddlestone, two recent Premier League players, were hired as coaches to prepare youngsters for senior football. In the cups, against Wolves and Swindon, the only win for the under-18s this season.
Cox says: “Our aim is to support every player to reach their full potential. For some players it will not be the first team; our coaches will work hard to make sure they make a living from us. But, from the club’s point of view, the utopia is to produce players who go on and excel in a winning United team.”
The next academy landmark is the 250th start for a United youth system graduate, following Omari Forson’s 249th first-team honors when he featured in the FA Cup win against Wigan on last month. The club has also taken a proactive approach to loans, agreeing temporary exits for 10 players (eight of whom are academic graduates) in January, while a number of under-18s will go out on work experience loans. to train with other clubs before this season. over.
There is also immense pride in Mainoo’s rapid rise. The Stockport-born midfielder, 18, was named United’s senior player of the month for January and has quickly become a role model for the academy players following back-to-back first-team goals, with including that magnificent winner at Wolves last Thursday.
“It’s not true that the young players will ever succeed; we have a rocky road ahead,” says Cox. “For any young player at Manchester United, it’s a real challenge. Kobbie seems to be up to that challenge but it is important that everyone stays grounded. Man United is expected to win, win convincingly and win regularly. The standards are high.”
