The Guardian: MU should update their youth system as Carrick should boldly use young players

According to an article by Guardian columnist David Pleat, Manchester United's recent consecutive defeats to Como and AFC Bournemouth have made him rethink the club's academy tradition.

In February 2025, Pleat watched Manchester United's U18 team beat Arsenal 3-2 in the FA Youth Cup at the Emirates Stadium. Tyler Fletcher and Harry Amass, who joined from Watford, both performed well, while Arsenal had Max Dowman, regarded as a generational talent.

However, none of the young players from that Manchester United side have truly established themselves in the first team. Left-back Amass has made only two substitute appearances this season, while Shea Lacey, a winger from the same U18 team, has made four substitute appearances and one start in the League Cup.

Pleat believes that Old Trafford fans have always had a special affection for academy players. Mainoo and Rashford, both products of Manchester United's academy, have broken into the first team. He said that when he sees some of the expensive players the club brings in, he wonders whether they truly see themselves as part of Manchester United. Academy players bring team spirit and identity, as well as genuine pride in the club's shirt. Of course, that alone is not enough, but the club must give them a real chance to prove themselves.

He believes that to judge whether a young player has the potential to become a regular starter, he should be given at least three consecutive starts. Some players occasionally get one start in the League Cup and then no further opportunity to show what they can do.

Pleat also noted that JJ Gabriel, Manchester United's highly rated 16-year-old, and his representatives seem to believe the player might have better development opportunities at another club. In recent years, other young English players have also chosen to leave their original clubs early. For example, Madueke left Tottenham Hotspur at 16 to join PSV Eindhoven. After getting regular playing time there, he eventually returned to England, joining Chelsea and then Arsenal.

Pleat believes this is not just a problem for Manchester United, but one that the entire English academy system needs to address. The primary task of an academy should be to develop players for the first team, not to act as a player trading market that raises funds by selling young players and then brings in mediocre players from overseas.

Over the past 30 years or so, Tottenham Hotspur have produced several internationals, such as Sol Campbell, Ledley King, Harry Kane and Andros Townsend. However, this season, the only homegrown academy player to feature for Tottenham in the Premier League was Mitch Moore, and he was loaned out again in August, this time to Cologne.

Pleat believes that loans can sometimes help young players develop, with Kane being a prime example. He recalled watching Kane play live for the first time while Kane was on loan at Leyton Orient from Tottenham, and at the time he wasn't sure Kane had the speed to succeed at the highest level. Later, Kane was injured after returning from his loan spell at Norwich, but during his recovery he improved his physical condition through gym strength training and other methods, becoming fitter and faster.

Eventually, Tim Sherwood, then Tottenham's head coach, kept giving Kane first-team opportunities. Kane seized the chance and won the Ballon d'Or this week, ending a 25-year wait for an English male player to win the award.

Pleat pointed out that young players often need a coach willing to give them a chance and people who will firmly support them. This summer, Tottenham sold three academy graduates: Alfie Devine joined Preston, while Will Lankshear and Ashley Phillips moved to Middlesbrough. He questioned whether these players didn't deserve an opportunity.

Liverpool have had a Liverpool-born player represent the team every season since 1892, but none of the Liverpool-born players were included in the 25-man Premier League squad the club announced in August this year. The team still has young English players, including Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, who have started matches this season in competitions other than the League Cup. However, Pleat is concerned that across the Premier League, the talent pool for the England national team is gradually shrinking.

He believes the academy system needs reform, starting with the abolition of the U21 league. Currently, some players who are already over 18 are kept in the youth team by clubs simply to make up numbers in the development squad, rather than because they have real potential to become top players. He believes clubs should decide by the age of 18 at the latest whether to keep a player, and those who stay should either join the first team or be loaned out for experience.

Pleat emphasized that young players need to be exposed to adult football as early as possible. While academy matches are well organized and technically proficient, they differ significantly from the fast, intense and physical nature of adult football. Furthermore, youth matches cannot fully test whether a young player can adapt to the adult dressing room and withstand competition from older players.

He recalled his own experience playing for Nottingham Forest as a young player. In training, he once dribbled past an older teammate, who warned him: "Son, if you do that again, I'll break your legs." The football environment is different today, but he believes young players still need strong enough character to establish themselves in adult football.

Pleat also pointed out that too many players over 18 are released from Premier League academies, yet they may lack the experience and ability to step into English Football League teams. Clubs need to assess whether these players can cope with the physical demands of adult football and whether they can earn the trust of managers who have limited time on the training ground and must get results quickly or face the sack.

At the same time, top managers also face pressure to perform and may therefore be reluctant to give opportunities to young players. Pleat believes that, at the very least, managers should watch academy matches whenever possible and proactively ask, "Which of your players have the potential to become regular first-team players?" Some managers, however, treat the academy and the first team as if they belonged to two different clubs.

Carrick's decision to watch Manchester United's U21 team this week shows his genuine interest in the club's academy. Pleat believes that now is the time for Carrick to boldly promote young players and give them real opportunities.