Manchester United F.C. Under-21s and Academy
Youth team of Manchester United Football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manchester United Football Club Under-21s 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 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 is Adam Lawrence, who took over from Travis Binnion in 2026.
Leigh
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| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-21s | |||
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| Nicknames | The Red Devils, United | |||
| Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath Reserves | |||
| Ground | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh | |||
| Capacity | 12,000[1] | |||
| Co-chairmen | Joel and Avram Glazer | |||
| Manager | Adam Lawrence | |||
| League | Premier League 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League 2, 5th (league) Semi-finals (Playoffs) | |||
| Website | manchesterunitedacademy | |||
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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 the 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.
From November 2008 to August 2013, the team played its home matches at Moss Lane in Altrincham, the home of Altrincham 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.[2] Since 2014–15, the team play its home matches at Leigh Sports Village.[3] 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.[4] In previous seasons, the team has played at the Victoria Stadium, the home of Northwich Victoria, and Ewen Fields, the home of Hyde United.[5]
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-21s
The first record of any matches played by the Manchester United reserve team dates back to 6 October 1883, when the club was still known as Newton Heath LYR F.C., a 4–1 defeat away to Pendleton Olympic Reserves.[6] They predominantly played friendlies for their first nine seasons, although they entered the first four seasons of the Lancashire Junior Cup, starting in 1885–86; they won just one of their five matches played in the competition over those four years, beating Churchtown in October 1887, before losing to Park Lane Wanderers in the next round.[6] In 1892–93, they entered league football for the first time, taking part in the second season of the Lancashire Combination;[6] they finished third,[7] only missing out on second place by virtue of an inferior goal average.[8] That final position was only matched by a further third-place finish in 1895–96,[7] and another in 1905–06.[9]
In 1911, the club became founder members of the Central League, winning their first league title in its second season in 1912–13.[9] They played in the Central League until 1999, when the competition was superseded by the Premier Reserve League, winning the title nine times, the second most of any club in the league's history. The Premier Reserve League was split into northern and southern divisions, but it was not until 2005 that a play-off was introduced to determine an overall champion. Manchester United won the northern title in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2012, winning the overall title in each of the last four. The reserve team was dissolved in 2012 and replaced by an under-21 side that played in the newly founded Premier League 2. They won three of the first four PL2 titles, only missing out in 2013–14. The age restrictions were changed to under-23s in 2016, before being reverted to under-21s in 2022.
A Manchester United team competed in the Lancashire Senior Cup from the 1889–90 season, initially entering the first team but by the 1950–51 season they had started entering a reserve team only. Including first-team victories, Manchester United have won the Lancashire Senior Cup 15 times (including a shared title with Liverpool in 1920), most recently as of their last entry in the competition in 2012–13. They also entered the reserves in the Manchester Senior Cup every year from 1999–2000 until the competition was abandoned in 2016, winning 12 titles.
As of the 2025–26 season, the Manchester United Under-21s compete in Premier League 2 (since 2012), the EFL Trophy (since 2019), the National League Cup (since 2024) and the Premier League International Cup (since 2016).
Current squad
- As of 10 December 2025[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managerial history
| 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 Solskjær Warren Joyce[11][12] |
| 2011–2016 | Warren Joyce[13] |
| 2016–2017 | Nicky Butt[14] |
| 2017–2019 | Ricky Sbragia[15] |
| 2019–2022 | Neil Wood[16] |
| 2022–2023 | Mark Dempsey[17] |
| 2023–2026 |  Travis Binnion |
| 2026– | Adam Lawrence[18] |
Honours
- Premier League 2: 3
- Premier Reserve League
- Play-off Final Winners: (4) 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012
- Northern Champions: (5) 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012
- Central League: 9
- 1912–13, 1920–21, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97
- Central League Division 1 West: 1
- 2005
- Central League Cup: 1
- 2005
- Manchester Senior Cup: 10
- 1999, 2000, 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
- SuperCupNI: 1
- 2017
Under-18s
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| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-18s | |||
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| Nicknames | The Red Devils, United | |||
| Founded | 1998 | |||
| Ground | Trafford Training Centre Carrington | |||
| Co-chairmen | Joel and Avram Glazer | |||
| Head coach | Darren Fletcher | |||
| League | U18 Premier League North | |||
| 2024–25 | U18 Premier League, 2nd (North) Did not qualify (national) | |||
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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 Trafford Training Centre, 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, 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 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 squad
As of 10 December 2025[19][20]
| Nat. | Player | Date of birth | Position | Number | International caps | Previous club | Joined | |
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| 2nd Year Scholars | ||||||||
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Cameron Byrne-Hughes | 2 November 2007 | GK | 79 | July 2024 | |||
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Fred Heath | 25 September 2007 | GK | 78 | July 2024 | |||
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Daniel Armer | 23 October 2007 | DF | 75 | Capped at Under-19 level | July 2024 | ||
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Albert Mills | 28 February 2008 | DF | 71 | July 2024 | |||
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Dante Plunkett | 9 October 2007 | DF | 69 | Aston Villa | July 2024 | ||
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Godwill Kukonki | 6 February 2008 | DF | 72 | Capped at Under-17 level | July 2024 | ||
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James Overy | 9 November 2007 | DF | 76 | Capped at Under-19 level | Newton Abbot Spurs | September 2024 | |
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Jim Thwaites | 20 December 2007 | MF | 77 | July 2024 | |||
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Amir Ibragimov | 2 April 2008 | MF | 73 | Capped at Under-16 level | Sheffield United | July 2024 | |
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Bendito Mantato | 25 January 2008 | FW | 70 | Capped at Under-17 level | July 2024 | ||
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Samuel Lusale | 7 September 2007 | FW | 80 | Capped at Under-19 level | Crystal Palace | September 2024 | |
| 1st Year Scholars | ||||||||
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Zachary Watson | 19 September 2008 | GK | 81 | July 2025 | |||
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Rafe McCormack | 14 December 2008 | DF | 86 | Capped at Under-16 level | July 2025 | ||
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Jacob Watson | 16 May 2009 | DF | 82 | July 2025 | |||
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Jayden Ngwashi | 21 September 2008 | DF | 84 | July 2025 | |||
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Yuel Helafu | 2 September 2008 | DF | 89 | July 2025 | |||
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Jay McEvoy | 16 October 2008 | MF | 85 | Capped at Under-15 level | July 2025 | ||
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Jariyah Shah | 25 May 2009 | MF | 83 | July 2025 | |||
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Louie Kynaston-Bradbury | 16 September 2008 | FW | 87 | July 2025 | |||
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Neithan Barbosa | 6 December 2008 | FW | 91 | July 2025 | |||
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Noah Ajayi | 23 November 2008 | FW | 92 | July 2025 | |||
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Nathaniel-Junior Brown | 18 December 2008 | FW | 90 | July 2025 | |||
| Under-16s | ||||||||
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Harley Emsden-James | 13 March 2009 | DF | 93 | Southampton | July 1, 2025 | ||
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Doula Nkoto Abdoulaye | 27 September 2010 | FW | 94 | ||||
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JJ Gabriel | 6 October 2010 | FW | 95 | ||||
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Kai Rooney | 2 November 2009 | FW | 68 | ||||
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Charlie Hardy | 14 July 2009 | GK | 97 | Derby County | 6 December 2025 | ||
Honours
Under–18 Team
- U18 Premier League
- National Final Winners(1): 2023–24
- North Division Champions(2): 2017–18, 2023–24
- FA Youth Cup: 11[21]
- U18 Premier League Cup: 1
- 2023–24
- Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup: 18[22]
- 1954, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 2004, 2005
- Champions Youth Cup: 1
- 2007
- 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
Doubles and Trebles
- Trebles
- U18 Premier League, U18 Premier League North, U18 Premier League Cup(1): 2023–24
Under–16 Team
- U16 Premier League Shield: 2
- 2024–25, 2025–26
- SuperCupNI: 7[23]
- 1991, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2022
Under–15 Team
- U15 Premier League Super Cup: 1
- 2024–25
- U15 Premier League Cup North: 1
- 2024–25
Staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Academy | Steve Torpey[24] |
| Senior Academy Coach | Mark Dempsey[25] |
| Head of Academy Football Development and Methodology | Darren Hughes [26] |
| Head of Academy Recruitment | Connor Hunter [26] |
| Under-21 Scout | Ian Broomfield [26] |
| Head of Player Development and Coaching (U17–U21) | Darren Fletcher |
| Under-21 Head Coach | Adam Lawrence[18] |
| Under-21 Assistant Head Coach | Alan Wright [27] |
| Lead Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U21) | Tommy Lee[25] |
| Academy Goalkeeping Coach | Christopher Backhouse[27] |
| Under-21 Performance Analyst | Curtis Quinn[27] |
| Under-18 Head Coach | Darren Fletcher[28] |
| Under-18 Assistant Head Coach | Colin Little |
| Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U18) | Kevin Wolfe[25] |
| Head of Academy Performance | Matt Walker[27] |
| PDP Athletic Development Coach | Luke Lawrence[27] |
| Head of Player Development (U13-16) and Under-16 Lead Coach | Tom Curtis |
| Under-15 Lead Coach | Tommy Rowe |
| Head of Player Development (U9-U13) | Eamon Mulvey[27] |
| Under-14 Lead Coach | Vacant |
| Under-12 Lead Coach | Lee Unsworth[29] |
| YDP Athletic Development Lead (U12–U16) | Alex Ouzounoglou[27] |
Notable youth team players
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.[30] 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
Amad Diallo
John Aston Sr.- Ray Baartz
- Phil Bardsley
Bebé- David Beckham
Mylan Benjamin
Di'Shon Bernard
George Best
Clayton Blackmore- Jackie Blanchflower
- Mark Bosnich
Robbie Brady
Evandro Brandão
Febian Brandy- Shay Brennan
Ben Brereton Díaz- Ronnie Briggs
- Wes Brown
- Alex Bruce
- DJ Buffonge
- Francis Burns
- Nicky Butt
- Roger Byrne
- Fraizer Campbell
Johnny Carey- Joe Carolan
- Craig Cathcart
- Bobby Charlton
- James Chester
Tahith Chong- Tom Cleverley
Kenny Cooper- Hugh Curran
Mats Møller Dæhli- Alan Davies
- Simon Davies
- Oliver Denham
Ritchie De Laet- Danny Drinkwater
- Joe Dudgeon
- Jimmy Dunne
- Eamon Dunphy
- Mike Duxbury
- Duncan Edwards
- Magnus Wolff Eikrem
Sadiq El Fitouri
Anthony Elanga- Corry Evans
- Jonny Evans
Fabio
Dong Fangzhuo- Darren Fletcher
- Bill Foulkes
Timothy Fosu-Mensah- Ethan Galbraith
Alejandro Garnacho- Darron Gibson
- Ryan Giggs
- Johnny Giles
- Keith Gillespie
- Don Givens
Shaun Goater
Pierluigi Gollini- Angel Gomes
Arthur Gómez- Johnny Gorman
- Kenji Gorré
- Sean Goss
- Brian Greenhoff
- Mason Greenwood
- Tommy Hamilton
- Raheem Hanley
- David Healy
- Tom Heaton
- Dean Henderson
- Jackie Hennessy
- Ángelo Henríquez
Danny Higginbotham- Mark Hughes
- Phil Hughes
- Etzaz Hussain
Nikolas Ioannou
Zidane Iqbal- Saidy Janko
- Adnan Januzaj
- David Johnson
- Sam Johnstone
- Michael Keane
- Will Keane
- Otis Khan
- Brian Kidd
- Joshua King
- Jovan Kirovski
Matěj Kovář- Tom Lawrence
Diego León- Dylan Levitt
- Jesse Lingard
Shaun Lowther- Jon Macken
- Kobbie Mainoo
Souleymane Mamam- David McCreery
- Luke McCullough
- Wilf McGuinness
- Sammy McIlroy
- Alan McLoughlin
- Sammy McMillan
- Paddy McNair
- Paul McShane
- Scott McTominay
Hannibal Mejbri- Jackie Mooney
Kalam Mooniaruck- Johnny Morris
- Ravel Morrison
- 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
- James Overy
Maxi Oyedele- Stan Pearson
- David Pegg
Facundo Pellistri- Andreas Pereira
- Anthony Pilkington
Gerard Piqué- David Platt
Paul Pogba
Dennis Politic- Regan Poole
- Rafael
- Marcus Rashford
- Kieran Richardson
- Jimmy Rimmer
- Jonny Rödlund
- Giuseppe Rossi
Mike Rowbotham- David Sadler
- Charlie Savage
- Robbie Savage
- James Scanlon
- Luca Scanlon
- Paul Scholes
- Jackie Scott
- Ryan Shawcross
Paul Sixsmith- Paddy Sloan
- Jonathan Spector
- Michael Stewart
- Nobby Stiles
Martin Šviderský- Jordan Thompson
- John Thorrington
Zoran Tošić
Sean Tse
Axel Tuanzebe- Guillermo Varela
Frédéric Veseli- Dennis Viollet
- Danny Welbeck
- Billy Whelan
- Norman Whiteside
Ro-Shaun Williams- Matty Willock
- Marc Wilson
Jamie Wood
Hussein Yasser
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 |