Manchester United are falling behind their rivals at academy level due to poor facilities and trouble recruiting staff, according to a new report. The club is renowned for developing young talent but that reputation is at risk amid a lack of players pushing for places in Ruben Amorim's first-team squad at the moment, while there is concern among staff about the direction the academy is heading in.
Staff turnover causing disruption
That's according to a report in which claims that the high level of turnover due to people leaving and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's redundancies is causing disruption. Nick Cox, the director of academy between 2019 and 2025 who oversaw the rise of Alejandro Garnacho among other graduates into the United first team, left in the summer to become Everton's technical director. Under-18 coach Adam Lawrence has gone to Newcastle to take charge of the Magpies' under-21s. Paul McShane, David Hughes and Simon Wiles have all left the academy lately, leading to concern about the club's ability to retain experienced and talented staff.
AdvertisementAFPPlayers using temporary facilities
United spent £50m renovating the first team's training facility, which opened in August. However, there is concern that the investment in Ruben Amorim's side has come at the expense of the academy. Staff are working in prefabricated structures in the players’ car park, while a report in in October revealed that academy staff and first team analysts have to wash their own kit. A shortage of staff led to the under 13s not having enough socks and shorts for a match against Everton earlier this season, leading to the players having to wear Everton kit.
Ratcliffe was less than complimentary about the academy in a recent interview with ' The Business podcast. "The academy has really slipped at Manchester United," he said. "You need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. That’s not a light switch. You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time. We just recruited a new academy director."
According to , those comments did not go down well with parents of young academy players. One of them told the newspaper: "Sir Jim’s comments don’t represent what parents think of the club. All it has done is unsettle some of the boys and their parents. He might even find that what he’s said means some families start to wonder if their child’s future would be best served at another club. His comments aren’t helpful and are confusing as most are happy at United. They have access to great pitches, the changing rooms are fantastic. They have opened a new parents’ lounge, and the boys can use the state-of-the-art facilities that the first team use for gym and rehab.
"It’s quite the contrast from Sir Jim’s comments. The majority of the parents have said that Sir Jim seems to have his own agenda, which does not align with what is really happening. The coaches try to be upbeat and put a brave face on, but you can tell that Sir Jim’s comments have hurt them. They don’t understand what he’s talking about."
Rooney comments split opinion among academy
Wayne Rooney – whose eldest son Kai has played for the U18s, with 12-year-old Klay also in the club's academy system – has also aired his concerns about the club. He told the : "The culture of that football club has gone. 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."
The report claims that Rooney's comments divided opinion. While senior staff were annoyed with United's all-time top scorer for publicly slamming the club, others felt his analysis was "shrewd" and were pleased he had spoken out.
Getty Lacey next in line for senior debut
Amorim is yet to give any academy players a first-team debut this season, having played Chido Obi, Tyler Fredericson and Harry Amass last term. He did call up 18-year-old Shea Lacey to the matchday squad against Everton, and the Liverpool-born winger – who participated in the post-season tour of Asia in May – is regarded as being the most likely player to make his competitive debut. The fact that United are not involved in European competition this season and exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle has reduced the number of chances for youngsters although more opportunities in the first team could arise when the Red Devils enter the FA Cup in January.
