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On the surface, things are looking great at Manchester United’s academy level.
The under 18s are having an incredible season where they have won every league game they have played and Omari Forson recently became the club’s 249th academy graduate to make their first team debut for the Red Devils.
United’s Academy Director Nick Cox recently commented on the achievement by stating, “I would like to say well done to all of the staff who have played an important role in supporting Omari to this point. You each know who you are”.
No doubt 250 will be just around the corner with a seemingly prime opportunity to blood at least some youngsters against either Newport or Eastleigh in the FA cup at the end of January.
Furthermore, two of United’s standout performers this season have been Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, who were both key components of the 2022 FA Youth Cup victory.
Willy Kambwala has also broken through and played a strong match against West Ham in his debut just before Christmas.
However, below the surface, perhaps something more sinister is brewing.
While certain players have had opportunities, a worrying trend is developing where a sizeable number of players who were considered some of the gems of the academy are being sold without ever having a chance to show their value to the first team.
This window, Manchester United have approved the potential sale of Alvaro Fernandez to Benfica and the permanent sale of Mateo Mejia to Sevilla. It is fair to say that neither player received any sort of chance in the first team and both had strong reputations at youth level.
Fernandez has played well over fifty senior games on loan at both Preston and Granada, so a direct sale without being given a sniff of the first team is strange considering the weird combinations of left backs the club has used with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia suffering long term injuries this year. With Benfica seeming to only have an option to buy it seems possible that Fernandez may stay but it shows where he is in Ten Hag’s thinking that he would rather play Aaron Wan-Bissaka at left back then give the Spaniard a go.
Former United player, James Garner has also recently spoken out about his departure claiming that no one in particular tried to stop him from leaving and that “I feel like I’ve proven it to those who didn’t believe me over that side, but more importantly I’ve proven to myself that I can play in a Premier League side week in, week out”.
In the summer, Teden Mengi was sold to Luton Town for just €2 million and has immediately proven himself more than capable of playing Premier League level football.
Additionally, youth product Isak Hansen-Aarøen has been linked to a move away and his personal trainer has recently publicly stated that the player should leave to get first team opportunities as they are not forthcoming at Manchester United.
Even the deal for Hannibal Mejbri to go to Sevilla on loan can be questioned, because at the start of the season it appeared the Tunisian was ready to fight for a squad place and even with such devastating injuries in the middle of the park, he has barely featured in November and December for the club.
Therefore, are Manchester United abandoning their youth principles by selling academy players in favour of keeping expensive flops such as Antony on their bench?
Both sides of this debate can point to their own examples. The rise of Mainoo and Garnacho can be counter-balanced with the refusal to allow Fernandez or Mejia any sort of first team chance.
It is concerning that Erik ten Hag should understand this better than most. Ajax are one of the few teams in world football who could sensibly argue their traditional commitment to the academy is stronger than that of United and the Dutchman spent a long time at the club. However, the Dutch coach has already claimed he cannot play the Ajax way at United, so maybe he also doesn’t think he has the breathing space to trust youth the way he did at the Eredivisie side.
However, it must also be stated that every team needs to sell some academy products and Manchester United have been previously criticised in the past for holding on to youth team players who were never realistically going to make it and missed on a decent transfer fee as a result. Brandon Williams or Di’Shon Bernard are good examples of this, with the former still being connected to the club as he is only on loan at Ipswich.
All in all, United are still using their academy but they are playing with fire. They need to be careful not to get rid of too many players, too quickly and consequently, create a culture where youth players don’t feel they will have a fair crack of the whip. Of course, only the best should make it at a club like Manchester United and there should be no charity but the likes of Fernandez and Mejia will argue they never even had an opportunity.
So in spite of things looking rosy on the surface, the Mancunian side could be sleepwalking into losing their own youth identity, an identity that has outlasted all managers and owners since the 1930s, if they aren’t careful.
The post Manchester United could be sleepwalking into losing their youth identity appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.
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| Article Name | United have abandoned their principles and logic with this new transfer approach - opinion |
| Description |
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| Author Name | Candyboy |
| Published On | January 16, 2024 |
| Post Category |
Man Utd
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