Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy
Manchester United Football Club Under-23s is the most senior of Manchester United's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of the Professional Development League. The team is effectively Manchester United's second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2016–17 season, an increase from the age of 21 which was introduced in 2012–13.
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Full name | Manchester United Football Club Reserves and Academy | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Red Devils, United | |||
Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath Reserves | |||
Ground | Leigh Sports Village Leigh | |||
Capacity | 12,000 | |||
Co-chairmen | Joel and Avram Glazer | |||
Manager | Neil Wood | |||
League | Premier League 2 | |||
2018–19 | 6th (Division 2) | |||
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They were champions of the former Premier Reserve League five times (in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2012) between its introduction in 1999 and its dissolution in 2012. The team also won the 2012–13 Professional U21 Development League 1 in its inaugural season, and again in 2015 and 2016. The team also participates in the regional Manchester Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup. From 2019–20 edition, they also participate in the nationwide EFL Trophy along with senior teams from levels 3 and 4 of the English football league system, as teams from levels 1 and 2 are restricted to players aged 21 and under.
The team's manager is currently Neil Wood who took over from Ricky Sbragia in 2019. Sbragia had been manager since 2017 and had also been manager for the reserves between 2002–2005. Sbragia had taken over from Nicky Butt, an academy graduate in the 1990s who played for United until 2004. Butt held the role on an interim basis for the 2016–17 season after Warren Joyce was appointed Wigan Athletic manager on 2 November 2016. Joyce, who took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager of the reserves in December 2010, was previously the manager of Royal Antwerp, Manchester United's feeder club in Belgium.
From November 2008 to August 2013, the team played its home matches at Moss Lane in Altrincham, the home of Altrincham F.C. For the 2013–14 Under-21 Premier League season, the team has played the majority of its home matches at Salford City Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell.[1] Since 2014–15, the team play its home matches at Leigh Sports Village.[2] Rules set out by the Premier League state that at least three home league games per season must be played at the club's main stadium, Old Trafford.[3] In previous seasons, the team has played at the Victoria Stadium, the home of Northwich Victoria, and Ewen Fields, the home of Hyde United.[4]
Manchester United also has an Under-18s team that plays in the Premier League Under-18s Group 2 and the FA Youth Cup. The under-18s play their home games at the club's Trafford Training Centre in Carrington.
Under-23s
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Manager history
Jimmy Murphy (1946–1964) Wilf McGuinness (1964–1969) John Aston, Sr. (1969–1970) Wilf McGuinness (1970–1971) Bill Foulkes (1971–1974) Jack Crompton (1974–1981) Brian Whitehouse (1981–1991) Pop Robson and Jimmy Ryan (1991–1995) Jimmy Ryan (1995–2000) Mike Phelan (2000–2001) Brian McClair (2001–2002) Mike Phelan (2002) Ricky Sbragia (2002–2005) Brian McClair (2004–2005) René Meulensteen (2005–2006) Brian McClair (2006–2008) Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Warren Joyce (2008–2011)[7][8] Warren Joyce (2011–2016)[9] Nicky Butt (interim; 2016–2017)[10] Ricky Sbragia (2017–2019)[11] Neil Wood (2019–present)[12]
Honours
- Professional Development League 1: 3
- Premier Reserve League Northern Champions: 5
- 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012
- Premier Reserve League National Playoff Winners: 4
- 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012
- Central League North: 9
- 1913, 1921, 1939, 1947, 1956, 1960, 1994, 1996, 1997
- Central League Division 1 West: 1
- 2005
- Central League Cup: 1
- 2005
- Manchester Senior Cup: 27
- 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1924, 1926, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1948, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1964, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
- Lancashire Senior Cup: 15
- 1898, 1913, 1914, 1920 (shared), 1929, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1951, 1969, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013
Academy
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Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-18s | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Red Devils, United | |||
Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath Reserves | |||
Ground | Leigh Sports Village Leigh | |||
Capacity | 12,000 | |||
Co-chairmen | Joel and Avram Glazer | |||
Head coach | Neil Ryan | |||
League | U18 Premier League | |||
2018–19 | 4th (group stage) | |||
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The Manchester United Academy was established in 1998, following the reorganisation of youth football in England, but has roots stretching all the way back to the 1930s with the establishment of the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJAC). and has been responsible for producing some of Manchester United's greatest ever players, including the club's top five all-time appearance makers, Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, and the new wave of home-grown talents known as Fergie's Fledglings. The current academy is based at the club's Aon Training Complex, an 85-acre (340,000 m2) site in the Manchester suburb of Carrington.
The Manchester United youth team is statistically the most successful in English football, with nine players in the English football Hall of Fame (Duncan Edwards, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Nobby Stiles, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Johnny Giles). Manchester United also have the best FA Youth Cup record, winning on 10 occasions out of 14 final appearances.
The academy comprises age-group teams ranging from Under-9s up to the flagship Under-18s, who currently compete in Group C of the Premier Academy League and in the FA Youth Cup. The Under-16s and Under-18s typically play their academy league games at 11am on Saturday mornings at Carrington, while Youth Cup games are generally played at either Altrincham's Moss Lane ground (where the under-23s play their home games) or the club's 76,000-capacity Old Trafford home, in order to cater for the greater number of supporters these fixtures attract.
In 2007, Manchester United Under-18s won the Champions Youth Cup, intended to be an analogue to the FIFA Club World Cup for youth sides, beating Juventus 1–0 in the final in Malaysia. It was their first and only title, since the tournament was scrapped after only one edition.
Current Academy players
As of 6 September 2019[13]
Nat. | Player | Date of birth | Position | International caps | Previous club | Joined United |
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2nd Year Scholars | ||||||
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Łukasz Bejger | 11 January 2002 | DF | Capped at Under-19 level | Lech Poznań | August 2018[14] |
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Jacob Carney | 21 April 2001 | GK | — | — | July 2017 |
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Oliver Denham | 4 May 2002 | DF | Capped at Under-16 level | — | July 2018 |
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Reece Devine | 18 December 2001 | DF | — | Manchester City | August 2018[15] |
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Anthony Elanga | 27 April 2002 | FW | Capped at Under-17 level | — | July 2018 |
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Max Haygarth | 21 January 2002 | MF | — | — | July 2018 |
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Mark Helm | 21 October 2001 | MF | — | — | July 2018 |
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Ondrej Mastny | 8 March 2002 | GK | Capped at Under-18 level | Vysočina Jihlava | July 2018 |
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Charlie McCann | 24 April 2002 | MF | Capped at Under-17 level | Coventry City | July 2018 |
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Teden Mengi | 30 April 2002 | DF | Capped at Under-18 level | — | July 2018 |
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Harvey Neville | 26 June 2002 | DF | Capped at Under-19 level | Valencia | July 2018 |
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Connor Stanley | 30 December 2001 | MF | — | Birmingham City | August 2018[15] |
1st Year Scholars | ||||||
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Owen Dodgson | 19 March 2003 | DF | — | — | July 2019 |
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Noam Emeran | 24 September 2002 | FW | Capped at Under-16 level | Amiens | July 2019 |
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William Fish | 17 February 2003 | DF | Capped at Under-17 level | — | July 2019 |
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Calen Gallagher-Allison | 23 October 2002 | DF | — | — | July 2019 |
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Johan Guadagno | 21 February 2003 | GK | Capped at Under-16 level | IF Brommapojkarna | August 2019[16] |
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Björn Hardley | 19 December 2002 | DF | — | NAC Breda | August 2019[17] |
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Dillon Hoogewerf | 27 February 2003 | FW | Capped at Under-17 level | Ajax | August 2019[17] |
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Iestyn Hughes | 31 October 2002 | DF | Capped at Under 19 level | — | July 2019 |
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Zidane Iqbal | 27 April 2003 | MF | — | — | July 2019 |
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Dermot Mee | 20 November 2002 | GK | Capped at Under-19 level | — | July 2019 |
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Hannibal Mejbri | 21 January 2003 | MF | Capped at Under-17 level | Monaco | September 2019 |
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Mateo Mejia | 14 February 2003 | FW | — | Real Zaragoza | August 2019[16] |
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Charlie Savage | 2 May 2003 | MF | Capped at Under-17 level | — | July 2019 |
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Ayodeji Sotona | 7 December 2002 | FW | Capped at Under-16 level | — | July 2019 |
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Martin Svidersky | 4 October 2002 | MF | Capped at Under-17 level | Tatran Prešov | July 2019 |
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Charlie Wellens | 5 December 2002 | MF | — | — | July 2019 |
Honours
- U18 Premier League – National Champions: 1
- 2012–13
- U18 Premier League – Northern Champions: 1
- 2017–18
- Premier Academy League U18 (Group): 3
- 1998–99, 2000–01, 2009–10
- FA Youth Cup: 10[18]
- 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1964, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2011
- Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup: 18[19]
- 1954, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 2004, 2005
- Champions Youth Cup: 1
- 2007
- Milk Cup: 6[20]
- 1991, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014
- Lancashire League Division One: 12
- 1954–55, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
- Lancashire League Division Two: 5
- 1964–65, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1988–89, 1996–97
- Lancashire League Division One Supplementary Cup: 4
- 1954–55, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1963–64
- Lancashire League Division Two Supplementary Cup: 10
- 1955–56, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1976–77
Staff
- Head of football development: John Murtough
- Head of academy: Nick Cox
- Head of academy coaching: Tony Whelan[21]
- Under-23 manager: Neil Wood
- Under-23 assistant manager: Quinton Fortune
- Under-23 goalkeeping coach: Alan Fettis
- Under-18 head coach: Neil Ryan[22]
- Under-18 assistant head coach: Colin Little
- Under-18 goalkeeping coach: Kevin Wolfe
- Under-16 head coach: Tommy Martin
- Under-14-16 head of player development: Travis Binnion
- Under-12-14 head coach: Hasney Aljofree[23]
- Under-12 head coach: Lee Unsworth[24]
- Under-10 head coach: Eamon Mulvey
- Academy doctor: Dr Tony Gill
- Head of academy physiotherapy: Neil Hough[25]
- Academy physiotherapists: Russ Hayes and Daniel Torpey
Notable youth team players
The following is a list of players who have played in the Manchester United youth team (U16–U18) and represented a country (not necessarily their country of birth) at full international level.[26] Players who are currently playing at Manchester United, or for another club on loan from Manchester United, are highlighted in bold.
Stan Ackerley Adnan Ahmed Arthur Albiston John Aston Sr. Ray Baartz Phil Bardsley David Beckham George Best Clayton Blackmore Jackie Blanchflower Mark Bosnich Robbie Brady Evandro Brandão Febian Brandy Shay Brennan Ronnie Briggs Wes Brown Alex Bruce Francis Burns Nicky Butt Roger Byrne Fraizer Campbell Johnny Carey Joe Carolan Craig Cathcart Bobby Charlton James Chester Tom Cleverley Kenny Cooper Hugh Curran Mats Møller Dæhli Alan Davies Simon Davies Danny Drinkwater Eamon Dunphy Mike Duxbury Duncan Edwards Magnus Wolff Eikrem Corry Evans Jonny Evans Darren Fletcher Bill Foulkes Timothy Fosu-Mensah Ethan Galbraith Darron Gibson Ryan Giggs Johnny Giles Keith Gillespie Don Givens Shaun Goater Pierluigi Gollini Johnny Gorman Brian Greenhoff David Healy Tom Heaton Jackie Hennessy Danny Higginbotham Mark Hughes Phil Hughes Nicholas Ioannou[27] Adnan Januzaj David Johnson Michael Keane Brian Kidd Joshua King Jovan Kirovski Tom Lawrence Jesse Lingard Shaun Lowther Jon Macken David McCreery Luke McCullough Wilf McGuinness Sammy McIlroy Alan McLoughlin Sammy McMillan Paddy McNair Paul McShane Scott McTominay Jackie Mooney Kalam Mooniaruck Johnny Morris Philip Mulryne Colin Murdock Daniel Nardiello Gary Neville Phil Neville Jimmy Nicholl Jimmy Nicholson Oliver Norwood Lee O'Connor Kieran O'Hara John O'Shea Peter O'Sullivan Matthew Olosunde Stan Pearson David Pegg Andreas Pereira Anthony Pilkington Gerard Piqué David Platt Paul Pogba Marcus Rashford Kieran Richardson Jimmy Rimmer Jonny Rödlund Giuseppe Rossi Mike Rowbotham David Sadler Robbie Savage Paul Scholes Jackie Scott Ryan Shawcross Paul Sixsmith Paddy Sloan Jonathan Spector Michael Stewart Nobby Stiles John Thorrington Dennis Viollet Danny Welbeck Billy Whelan Norman Whiteside Marc Wilson Jamie Wood Ron-Robert Zieler
Players of the Year
Prior to 1990, a single award was presented to the best young player of that season. Between 1982 and 1985 this was the entitled "Young Player of the Year"; the award then became known as the "Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year" between 1986 and 1989 in honour of Denzil Haroun, a former club director and brother-in-law of former club chairman Louis Edwards.
Since 1990, individual awards are made to the best player of the Academy and the Reserves. The "Young Player of the Year" is named in honour of Jimmy Murphy, Sir Matt Busby's long-time assistant manager, who died in 1989, and the best reserve is awarded the "Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year".
Season | Supporters Club Young Player of the Year |
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1982–83 | Norman Whiteside |
1983–84 | Mark Hughes |
1984–85 | Mark Hughes |
Season | Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year |
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1985–86 | Simon Ratcliffe |
1986–87 | Gary Walsh |
1987–88 | Lee Martin |
1988–89 | Mark Robins |
References
- Marshall, Adam (13 August 2013). "New home for Under-21s". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- Marshall, Adam (23 May 2014). "Manchester United Under-21 fixtures 2014/15". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- "Premier League 2: Competition format explained". Premier League. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- Bartram, Steve (5 November 2008). "Reserves move to Moss Lane". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- "Man Utd Reserves Squad & Players Profile". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Man. United". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- Thompson, Gemma (26 May 2008). "Duo to manage Reserves". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Coppack, Nick (9 November 2010). "Ole accepts Norwegian post". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Bartram, Steve (13 January 2011). "O'Shea starts for Reserves". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- "Nicky Butt named as Manchester United reserves' caretaker manager". ESPN.co.uk. ESPN Internet Ventures. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- "United appoint Ricky Sbragia". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- Marshall, Adam (4 July 2019). "Restructure of Under-23s set-up completed". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- "Man Utd Academy Squad & Players Profiles". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- Luckhurst, Samuel (2 August 2018). "Manchester United complete Lukasz Bejger signing in transfer window". Manchester Evening News. MEN Media. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- Marshall, Adam (2 August 2018). "Under-18s announce two new signings". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- Marshall, Adam (11 August 2019). "United announce new academy deals". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- Marshall, Adam (11 August 2019). "United announce new academy deals". ManUtd.com. Manchester United website. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- "FA Youth Cup Winners". TheFA.com. The Football Association. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- "Siegerliste ab 1939" [List of winners since 1939] (in German). Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- "Premier – Previous Winners". nimilkcup.org. NI Milk Cup. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- Bartram, Steve (5 November 2015). "United provide a higher education". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- "Neil Ryan appointed new Man Utd Under 18s coach". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- Bullin, Matt (16 August 2017). "Video: United Under-16s in Hong Kong". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
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- "Neil Hough takes up Academy role". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- "Internationals from MUFC Youth" (PDF) (PDF). Tony Park, Sons Of United. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/04/29/cypriot-teen-released-by-man-united-joins-apoel/
- Bostock, Adam (4 May 2010). "Award joy for Keane". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Bostock, Adam (4 May 2010). "De Laet's delight". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Bostock, Adam (15 May 2007). "MUTV Online: United awards". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
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- Hibbs, Ben (17 May 2009). "Vidic does the double". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
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- Marshall, Adam (18 May 2011). "Gill wins Reserves' gong". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Tuck, James (14 May 2012). "Daehli is Academy star". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
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- Marshall, Adam (9 May 2019). "Tahith Chong voted Under-23s Player of the Year". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 10 May 2019.