 | ||||
| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-21s | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Red Devils, United | |||
| Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath Reserves | |||
| Ground | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh | |||
| Capacity | 12,000[1] | |||
| Co-chairmen | Joel andAvram Glazer | |||
| Manager | Travis Binnion | |||
| League | Premier League 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League 2, 5th (league) Semi-finals (Playoffs) | |||
 Current season | ||||
| Departments of Manchester United | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Manchester United Football Club Under-21s is the most senior ofManchester United's youth teams and the club's formerreserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of theProfessional Development League. The team is effectively Manchester United's second-string side, but is limited to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2022–23 season, a change from three outfield players over age 23 introduced in 2016–17. The age limit previously was again 21, from 2012–13. The team's current manager isDarren Fletcher, who took over fromTravis Binnion in 2025.
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 the2012–13 Professional U21 Development League 1 in its inaugural season, and again in 2015 and 2016. The team also participates in the regionalManchester Senior Cup and theLancashire Senior Cup. From the2019–20 edition, they also participate in the nationwideEFL Trophy along with senior teams from levels 3 and 4 of theEnglish football league system, as teams from levels 1 and 2 are restricted to players aged 21 and under.
From November 2008 to August 2013, the team played its home matches atMoss Lane inAltrincham, the home ofAltrincham For the2013–14 Under-21 Premier League season, the team has played the majority of its home matches atSalford City Stadium inBarton-upon-Irwell.[2] Since 2014–15, the team play its home matches atLeigh Sports Village.[3] Rules set out by thePremier League state that at least three home league games per season must be played at the club's main stadium,Old Trafford.[4] In previous seasons, the team has played at theVictoria Stadium, the home ofNorthwich Victoria, andEwen Fields, the home ofHyde United.[5]
Manchester United also has an Under-18s team that plays in the Premier League Under-18s Group 2 and theFA Youth Cup. The under-18s play their home games at the club'sTrafford Training Centre inCarrington.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1946–1964 |  Jimmy Murphy |
| 1964–1969 |  Wilf McGuinness |
| 1969–1970 | John Aston Sr. |
| 1970–1971 | Wilf McGuinness |
| 1971–1974 | Bill Foulkes |
| 1974–1981 | Jack Crompton |
| 1981–1991 | Brian Whitehouse |
| 1991–2000 | Pop Robson Jimmy Ryan |
| 2000–2001 | Mike Phelan |
| 2001–2002 | Brian McClair |
| 2002 | Mike Phelan |
| 2002–2005 | Ricky Sbragia |
| 2005–2006 | Brian McClair |
| 2005–2006 |  René Meulensteen |
| 2006–2008 | Brian McClair |
| 2008–2011 |  Ole Gunnar SolskjærWarren Joyce[7][8] |
| 2011–2016 | Warren Joyce[9] |
| 2016–2017 | Nicky Butt[10] |
| 2017–2019 | Ricky Sbragia[11] |
| 2019–2022 | Neil Wood[12] |
| 2022–2023 | Mark Dempsey[13] |
| 2023–2025 |  Travis Binnion |
| 2025– | Darren Fletcher[14] |
| ||||
| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-18s | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Red Devils, United | |||
| Founded | 1998 | |||
| Ground | Trafford Training Centre Carrington | |||
| Co-chairmen | Joel andAvram Glazer | |||
| Head coach | Darren Fletcher | |||
| League | U18 Premier League North | |||
| 2024–25 | U18 Premier League, 2nd (North) Did not qualify (national) | |||
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 andGary Neville, and the new wave of home-grown talents known asFergie's Fledglings. The current academy is based at the club'sTrafford Training Centre, an 85-acre (340,000 m2) site in the Manchester suburb ofCarrington.
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, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Johnny Giles). Manchester United also have the best FA Youth Cup record, winning on ten 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 thePremier Academy League and in theFA 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 eitherAltrincham'sMoss Lane ground (where the under-23s play their home games) or the club's 76,000-capacityOld Trafford home, in order to cater for the greater number of supporters these fixtures attract.
In 2007, Manchester United Under-18s won theChampions Youth Cup, intended to be an analogue to theFIFA Club World Cup for youth sides, beatingJuventus 1–0 in the final in Malaysia. It was their first and only title, since the tournament was scrapped after only one edition.
| Nat. | Player | Date of birth | Position | Number | International caps | Previous club | Joined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Year Scholars | ||||||||
| Cameron Byrne-Hughes | (2007-11-02)2 November 2007 (age 18) | GK | 79 | July 2024 | |||
| Fred Heath | (2007-09-25)25 September 2007 (age 18) | GK | 78 | July 2024 | |||
| Daniel Armer | (2007-10-23)23 October 2007 (age 18) | DF | 75 | Capped at Under-19 level | July 2024 | ||
| Albert Mills | (2008-02-28)28 February 2008 (age 17) | DF | 71 | July 2024 | |||
| Dante Plunkett | (2007-10-09)9 October 2007 (age 18) | DF | 69 | Aston Villa | July 2024 | ||
| Godwill Kukonki | (2008-02-06)6 February 2008 (age 17) | DF | 72 | Capped at Under-17 level | July 2024 | ||
 | James Overy | (2007-11-09)9 November 2007 (age 18) | DF | 76 | Capped at Under-19 level | Newton Abbot Spurs | September 2024 | |
| Jim Thwaites | (2007-12-20)20 December 2007 (age 17) | MF | 77 | July 2024 | |||
| James Bailey | (2007-12-29)29 December 2007 (age 17) | MF | 74 | Burnley | July 2024 | ||
| Amir Ibragimov | (2008-04-02)2 April 2008 (age 17) | MF | 73 | Capped at Under-16 level | Sheffield United | July 2024 | |
| Bendito Mantato | (2008-01-25)25 January 2008 (age 17) | FW | 70 | Capped at Under-17 level | July 2024 | ||
 | Samuel Lusale | (2007-09-07)7 September 2007 (age 18) | FW | 80 | Capped at Under-19 level | Crystal Palace | September 2024 | |
| 1st Year Scholars | ||||||||
| Zachary Watson | (2008-09-19)19 September 2008 (age 17) | GK | 81 | July 2025 | |||
| Rafe McCormack | (2008-12-14)14 December 2008 (age 16) | DF | 86 | Capped at Under-16 level | July 2025 | ||
| Jacob Watson | (2009-05-16)16 May 2009 (age 16) | DF | 82 | July 2025 | |||
| Jayden Ngwashi | (2008-09-21)21 September 2008 (age 17) | DF | 84 | July 2025 | |||
| Yuel Helafu | (2008-09-02)2 September 2008 (age 17) | DF | 89 | July 2025 | |||
| Jay McEvoy | (2008-10-16)16 October 2008 (age 17) | MF | 85 | Capped at Under-15 level | July 2025 | ||
 | Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher | (2008-09-26)26 September 2008 (age 17) | MF | 88 | July 2025 | |||
| Jariyah Shah | (2009-05-25)25 May 2009 (age 16) | MF | 83 | July 2025 | |||
| Louie Kynaston-Bradbury | (2008-09-16)16 September 2008 (age 17) | FW | 87 | July 2025 | |||
 | Neithan Barbosa | (2008-12-06)6 December 2008 (age 16) | FW | 91 | July 2025 | |||
 | Noah Ajayi | (2008-11-23)23 November 2008 (age 16) | FW | 92 | July 2025 | |||
| Nathaniel-Junior Brown | (2008-12-18)18 December 2008 (age 16) | FW | 90 | July 2025 | |||
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Academy | Steve Torpey[20] |
| Senior Academy Coach | Mark Dempsey[14] |
| Head of Academy Recruitment | Luke Fedorenko[21] |
| Head of Player Development and Coaching (U19–U23) | Travis Binnion[14] |
| Under-21 Head Coach | |
| Under-21 Assistant Head Coach |  |
| Lead Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U21) | Tommy Lee[14] |
| Academy Goalkeeping Coach | Christopher Backhouse[22] |
| Under-21 Performance Analyst | Curtis Quinn[22] |
| Under-18 Head Coach | Darren Fletcher[23] |
| Under-18 Assistant Head Coach | Colin Little |
| Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U18) | Kevin Wolfe[14] |
| Head of Academy Performance | Matt Walker[22] |
| PDP Athletic Development Coach | Luke Lawrence[22] |
| Head of Player Development (U13–U16) | Tom Curtis[24] |
| Under-16 Lead Coach | Simon Wiles |
| Under-15 Lead Coach | Tommy Rowe |
| Head of Player Development (U9-U13) | Eamon Mulvey[22] |
| Under-13 Lead Coach | Vacant |
| Under-12 Lead Coach | Lee Unsworth[25] |
| YDP Athletic Development Lead (U12–U16) | Alex Ouzounoglou[22] |
The following is a list of players who have played in the Manchester United youth team (U16–U21) 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 inbold.
Stan Ackerley
Adnan AhmedArthur Albiston
Amad DialloJohn Aston Sr.Ray BaartzPhil Bardsley
BebéDavid Beckham
Mylan Benjamin
Di'Shon Bernard
George BestClayton BlackmoreJackie BlanchflowerMark BosnichRobbie Brady
Evandro Brandão
Febian BrandyShay Brennan
Ben Brereton DíazRonnie BriggsWes BrownAlex BruceFrancis BurnsNicky ButtRoger ByrneFraizer Campbell
Johnny CareyJoe CarolanCraig CathcartBobby CharltonJames Chester
Tahith ChongTom Cleverley
Kenny CooperHugh CurranMats Møller DæhliAlan DaviesSimon Davies
Ritchie De LaetOliver Denham
Mame Biram DioufDanny DrinkwaterJoe DudgeonJimmy DunneEamon DunphyMike DuxburyDuncan EdwardsMagnus Wolff Eikrem
Sadiq El Fitouri
Anthony ElangaCorry EvansJonny Evans
Fábio
Dong FangzhuoDarren FletcherBill FoulkesTimothy Fosu-MensahEthan Galbraith
Alejandro GarnachoDarron GibsonRyan GiggsJohnny GilesKeith GillespieDon Givens
Shaun Goater
Pierluigi GolliniAngel Gomes
Arthur GómezJohnny GormanKenji GorréSean GossBrian GreenhoffMason GreenwoodTommy HamiltonRaheem HanleyDavid HealyTom HeatonDean HendersonJackie HennessyÁngelo Henríquez
Danny HigginbothamMark HughesPhil HughesEtzaz Hussain
Nikolas Ioannou
Zidane IqbalSaidy JankoAdnan JanuzajDavid JohnsonSam JohnstoneMichael KeaneWill KeaneOtis KhanBrian KiddJoshua KingJovan Kirovski
Matěj KovářTom Lawrence
Diego LeónDylan LevittJesse Lingard
Shaun LowtherJon MackenKobbie Mainoo
Souleymane MamamManuchoDavid McCreeryLuke McCulloughWilf McGuinnessSammy McIlroyAlan McLoughlinSammy McMillanPaddy McNairPaul McShaneScott McTominay
Hannibal MejbriJackie Mooney
Kalam MooniaruckJohnny MorrisRavel MorrisonPhilip MulryneColin MurdockDaniel NardielloGary NevillePhil NevilleJimmy NichollJimmy NicholsonOliver NorwoodLee O'ConnorKieran O'HaraJohn O'SheaPeter O'SullivanMatthew OlosundeJames Overy
Maxi OyedeleStan PearsonDavid Pegg
Facundo PellistriAndreas PereiraAnthony Pilkington
Gerard PiquéDavid Platt
Paul Pogba
Dennis PoliticRegan PooleRafaelMarcus RashfordKieran RichardsonJimmy RimmerJonny RödlundGiuseppe Rossi
Mike RowbothamDavid SadlerCharlie SavageRobbie SavageJames ScanlonLuca ScanlonPaul ScholesJackie ScottRyan Shawcross
Paul SixsmithPaddy SloanJonathan SpectorMichael StewartNobby StilesMartin ŠviderskýJordan ThompsonJohn ThorringtonZoran Tošić
Sean Tse
Axel TuanzebeGuillermo VarelaMarnick Vermijl
Frédéric VeseliDennis ViolletDanny WelbeckBilly WhelanNorman Whiteside
Ro-Shaun WilliamsMatty WillockMarc Wilson
Jamie Wood
Hussein YasserRon-Robert ZielerPrior 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 chairmanLouis 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 ofJimmy 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 |
|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Norman Whiteside |
| 1983–84 | Mark Hughes |
| 1984–85 | Mark Hughes |
| Season | Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year |
|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Simon Ratcliffe |
| 1986–87 | Gary Walsh |
| 1987–88 | Lee Martin |
| 1988–89 | Mark Robins |
