MANCHESTER UNITED have a long history of youth development that includes a remarkable record that goes back 88 years… and counting.
They have included at least one youth academy player in every single senior matchday squad since 1937.
Kobbie Mainoo is the latest Man Utd academy starlet to have established himself in the first team[/caption]
Ever since then, they have boasted the likes of Duncan Edwards, George Best, Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
And that proud run continues, with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo getting their chance in the first team.
This season manager Ruben Amorim has used the likes of Harry Amass, a left-back with considerable potential, and Chido Obi, a goal-scoring striker they signed away from the Arsenal academy.
There is an expectation that next season, which will be the first full season for Amorim at the club, will be more successful with United expected to push up the table to at the very least compete for Champions League qualification.
In order to achieve this, however, they are going to have to recruit heavily to improve their squad in key positions.
But they also need to promote the best of their academy stars, to fill out the squad and offer real competition for places.
Only the very best will succeed at Old Trafford so the stakes are high.
We have identified three of the young players that Amorim and his coaching staff could turn to next season to supplement the squad.
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Jack Fletcher — 18, midfielder
The first player that we have picked out is a young midfielder who has a name that will be very familiar to fans of the club.
Jack Fletcher is the son of the former United and Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher and along with his twin brother Tyler, he moved across to the United academy from rivals Manchester City.
Now, Jack Fletcher finds himself on the fringes of the United first team and in a position where he can aim to break through next season.
As a midfield player Fletcher has a little bit of everything around his game.
Capable of playing deep or in more advanced midfield positions, he is very intelligent with his positioning and his reading of the game.
His technical level and receiving skills are very high and he showcases the ability to take possession in tight areas when opposition players are looking to press.
Jack Fletcher has been named on Man Utd’s first team bench on several occasions[/caption]
Fletcher is a young player with the ability to bring composure and calm to the midfield unit for United.
If Amorim wants to continue with a two-man midfield then Fletcher is the type of player that could play beside a Manuel Ugarte in order to bring real balance.
While Ugarte could act as the ball winner, Fletcher could get on the ball and really dictate and progress the ball through the thirds.
Fletcher is a young midfielder who has the ability to both get on the ball and combine and play but also work to break opposition attacks up.
He would be expecting to get exposure at first-team football next season.
Sekou Kone — 19, midfielder
The second player is one who United signed to feature in their upper age academy teams with a view to having him fast-tracked to first-team football.
Sekou Kone is a 19-year-old Malian youth international who moved to United in August 2024 from Guidars FC of Mali.
It is a mark of the belief that United have in the player that they were willing to sign the young midfielder for £1.2m.
Kone is a midfielder with a different profile to Jack Fletcher.
While Fletcher is a clear product of academy football in the way that he moves and receives the ball from a technical standpoint, Kone is perhaps the more naturally gifted player but one who is more unpredictable and chaotic in the positions that he takes and his actions in possession.
Sekou Kone warms up ahead of Man Utd’s Prem clash with Tottenham[/caption]
Kone is an energetic player who covers a lot of ground but his reading of the game and ability to play through all thirds really brings a lot of value to his team.
Ideally, he would be able to play as an 8 in a three-man midfield but his profile also works in a two-man midfield because he has the ability to cover large spaces both in the attacking and defensive phases of the game.
In possession of the ball, he can pass and break lines to move the ball forward and through the thirds but he can also drive forward with the ball at his feet while beating opposition players and effectively moving his team towards the final third.
Kone is a midfielder with a rare profile.
He has the physical and technical level to be able to play at Premier League level and he can make a genuine impact for United next season.
What really makes him stand out as different to other prospects though is his capacity to receive the ball and break a game open by doing the unexpected.
Tyler Fredricson — 20, defender
Tyler Fredricson is a young central defender who has come through the academy at United.
He also came into the team for last weekend’s match against Wolves and played for the full 90 minutes.
Given that under Amorim we are likely to see United continue to play in a back three system, that means that there will be opportunities for young defenders to gain game time.
They already have Ayden Heaven, another young player signed from Arsenal, as a left-sided centre back in their system.
But it is clear that Fredricson has caught the eye of the first-team coaching staff and against Wolves, despite the result, he certainly looked as though he has the ability to play at that level.
Combative and committed against the ball in the defensive phase it is also notable that Fredricson has the ability to progress the ball and play forward passes, something that is missing around United’s other central defenders.
Fredricson is naturally right-footed but in the match against Wolves, he showed his versatility to play from the left of the back three.
This versatility will likely lead him to get more exposure at the first-team level.
The fact that he can play comfortably as any of the three positions in the back three makes him valuable as a squad option.
His passing through lines was consistently impressive in the match against Wolves but he has built a reputation at youth level for being a dominant defensive player who is very strong in duels and in the challenge.
It remains to be seen whether he can translate this to senior level and in the Premier League but it is likely that he will get the chance.
Going into next season, there is every chance that a player with the profile of Fredricson will get the chance to be around the first-team squad at United.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Man United are a team that have consistently prioritised youth development and the integration of youth team players into the first team.
While the team does need a lot of work in terms of recruitment, they will also have room within their squad to develop these three outstanding young players.
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