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The standards of Manchester United’s academy have “really slipped” in recent years, according to Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The club is renowned as one of the world’s best schools for young players, so the words of the man at the top of the football operation will have stung those trying to create the next generation of stars.
The academy is in flux after Nick Cox, its long-time leader, left in September to become technical director at Everton. His replacement, Steve Torpey, joined from Brentford and is an ally of United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox. The pair worked together at Manchester City and the introduction of another former employee from there implies a literal blueprint is being followed.
At a recent staff meeting attended by Wilcox, it was discussed how the academy had been somewhat neglected while the focus was placed on turning around the first team’s fortunes. Although £50m has been invested in renovating the training facilities, the academy staff are working in prefabricated structures behind the main building, situated in the players’ car park, but there are plans for a modernisation to match the first team’s infrastructure. Ratcliffe has told academy staff his reference to slipping standards was in relation to facilities.
A senior academy staff member spoke passionately in the meeting about the academy being overlooked and was visibly emotional when doing so, giving Wilcox a glimpse of the strong feelings within the department.
Comments from Wayne Rooney, who has two children, Kai, 15, and Klay, 12, in the United setup, were not welcomed by senior figures but others were happy for them to be aired publicly. “The culture of that football club has gone,” Rooney said. “I see it on a daily basis. I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs. I’ve got two kids at that football club and I really hope this doesn’t affect what they’re doing.” His analysis was regarded by some as shrewd.
No one within the academy is denying there are improvements to be made but staff recruitment is causing problems. A physiotherapist turned down a role because they could continue to earn more in the equivalent job at another club, and United cannot compete financially with some Premier League teams for top talent.
Ruben Amorim has suggested he is open to using homegrown players, saying: “Our academy is the future,” but opportunities have been few and far between. Considering how United laud their history of including a homegrown player in every matchday squad for the past 88 years, a greater effort to energise the department would be advantageous.
Some staff have been irritated by the removal of free lunches and having to wash their own tracksuits. And it may seem a minor detail but as recently as Thursday the list of 15 academy leadership staff on the club’s website included six who have left.
Turnover has also caused disruption: the under-18s coach, Adam Lawrence, left to coach Newcastle Under-21s; Cox has gone; David Horseman departed for a role as elite player development coach at Arsenal three months after being appointed as United’s assistant manager with the under‑21s; Paul McShane took a role on Lee Grant’s staff at Huddersfield; David Hughes became head coach at the League Two club Newport; and Simon Wiles is in charge of Liverpool Under-18s after working with younger age groups at United.
Disappointment at United over losing so many experienced staff is accompanied by a belief that each moved to a more prestigious job thanks to their work at the club and that it should be taken as a compliment. It led, though, to concern among parents and agents about possible further upheaval. If United are regarded as being unable to retain staff, it could be off-putting to potential recruits in a highly competitive market.
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There were concerns Darren Fletcher would go in the summer before he became the under‑18s’ lead coach in mid-July. Fletcher was the technical director and academy staff were eager to keep someone of his quality and experience.
Fingers are being pointed at the academy’s lack of productivity for Amorim’s squad – Kobbie Mainoo and the defender Tyler Fredricson are the only graduates to have played this season, and the latter’s one appearance ended at half‑time of the Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby. But Scott McTominay, Dean Henderson, Álvaro Carreras and Anthony Elanga have gone on to thrive elsewhere, having been victims of poor United recruitment and overlooked in favour of subpar signings. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are showing signs of a return to their best form after being allowed to leave by Amorim, and Mainoo is a victim of tactical circumstance, leaving him on the periphery.
There was frustration in the academy that the goalkeeper Radek Vitek did not feature during pre‑season because the 22-year-old is regarded as having the potential to be United’s No 1. Instead André Onana, who eventually left for Trabzonspor, and Altay Bayindir, never perceived as a long-term first choice, were preferred. Vitek left on loan for Bristol City, where a couple of recent errors have blotted an otherwise fine campaign, and he will probably be integrated into United’s squad next season.
There is confidence that the 18-year-old Shea Lacey will soon make his first-team debut, the attacking midfielder having impressed under Travis Binnion in the under-21s after recovering from injury, earning a spot on the bench against Everton on Monday. Lacey, viewed as having a similar skill set to Phil Foden, trained with England during the October break. The highly rated – and sought-after – 15-year-old JJ Gabriel has been training with United’s first team.
Torpey built an academy almost from scratch at Brentford but having carte blanche there may have made that job easier than his task at United. Ratcliffe and Wilcox want to replicate City’s success but that cannot be done at the expense of United’s identity.
“You need the academy to be producing talent all the time,” Ratcliffe said on The Business podcast. “It helps you financially.” It may also require some speculation to accumulate.
