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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 Travis Binnion, who took over from Mark Dempsey in 2023.
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.
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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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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| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1946–1964 |  Jimmy Murphy
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| 1964–1969 |  Wilf McGuinness
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| 1969–1970 | John Aston Sr.
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| 1970–1971 | Wilf McGuinness
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| 1971–1974 | Bill Foulkes
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| 1974–1981 | Jack Crompton
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| 1981–1991 | Brian Whitehouse
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| 1991–2000 | Pop Robson Jimmy Ryan
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| 2000–2001 | Mike Phelan
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| 2001–2002 | Brian McClair
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| 2002 | Mike Phelan
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| 2002–2005 | Ricky Sbragia
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| 2005–2006 | Brian McClair
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| 2005–2006 |  René Meulensteen
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| 2006–2008 | Brian McClair
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| 2008–2011 |  Ole Gunnar Solskjær Warren Joyce[7][8]
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| 2011–2016 | Warren Joyce[9]
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| 2016–2017 | Nicky Butt[10]
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| 2017–2019 | Ricky Sbragia[11]
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| 2019–2022 | Neil Wood[12]
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| 2022–2023 | Mark Dempsey[13]
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| 2023–2025 |  Travis Binnion
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| 2025– | Darren Fletcher[14]
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| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-18s | |||
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| Nickname(s) | 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.
| Nat. | Player | Date of birth | Position | Number | International caps | Previous club | Joined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Year Scholars | ||||||||
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Cameron Byrne-Hughes | 2 November 2007 | GK | 94 | July 2024 | |||
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Fred Heath | 25 September 2007 | GK | 93 | 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 | 86 | July 2024 | |||
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Dante Plunkett | 9 October 2007 | DF | 84 | 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 | 91 | Capped at Under-19 level | Newton Abbot Spurs | September 2024 | |
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Rafe McCormack | 14 December 2008 | DF | Capped at Under-16 level | July 2025 | |||
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Jay McEvoy | 16 October 2008 | MF | Capped at Under-15 level | July 2025 | |||
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Jim Thwaites | 20 December 2007 | MF | 77 | July 2024 | |||
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James Bailey | 29 December 2007 | MF | 89 | Burnley | 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 | Capped at Under-19 level | Crystal Palace | September 2024 | ||
| 1st Year Scholars[17] | ||||||||
| Role | Name |
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| Director of Academy | Steve Torpey[21]
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| Senior Academy Coach | Mark Dempsey[14]
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| Head of Academy Recruitment | Luke Fedorenko[22]
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| Head of Player Development and Coaching (U19–U23) | Travis Binnion[14]
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| Under-21 Head Coach | |
| Under-21 Assistant Head Coach | David Horseman
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| Under-21 Coach | Tommy Rowe
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| Lead Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U21) | Tommy Lee[14] |
| Academy Goalkeeping Coach | Christopher Backhouse[23] |
| Under-21 Performance Analyst | Curtis Quinn[23] |
| Head of Player Development (U13–U16) | Tom Curtis[24] |
| Under-18 Head Coach | Darren Fletcher [25]
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| Under-18 Assistant Head Coach | Colin Little
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| Academy Goalkeeping Coach (U18) | Kevin Wolfe[14] |
| Head of Academy Performance | Matt Walker[23] |
| PDP Athletic Development Coach | Luke Lawrence[23]
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| Under-16 Lead Coach | Vacant |
| Under-15 Lead Coach | Vacant |
| Academy Programme Advisor | Eamon Mulvey[23] |
| Under-13 Lead Coach | Simon Wiles[24] |
| Under-12 Lead Coach | Lee Unsworth[26]
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| YDP Athletic Development Lead (U12–U16) | Alex Ouzounoglou[23] |
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.[27] 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 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
Ritchie De Laet Oliver Denham
Mame Biram Diouf Danny Drinkwater Joe Dudgeon Jimmy Dunne Eamon Dunphy Mike Duxbury Duncan Edwards Magnus Wolff Eikrem
Sadiq El Fitouri
Anthony Elanga Corry Evans Jonny Evans
Fábio
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
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 Dylan Levitt Jesse Lingard
Shaun Lowther Jon Macken Kobbie Mainoo
Souleymane Mamam Manucho 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
Maxi Oyedele Stan Pearson David Pegg
Facundo Pellistri Andreas Pereira Anthony Pilkington
Gerard Piqué David Platt
Paul Pogba Regan Poole Marcus Rashford Kieran Richardson Jimmy Rimmer Jonny Rödlund Giuseppe Rossi
Mike Rowbotham David Sadler Charlie Savage Robbie Savage James Scanlon Paul Scholes Jackie Scott Ryan Shawcross
Paul Sixsmith Paddy Sloan Jonathan Spector Michael Stewart Nobby Stiles Martin Šviderský Jordan Thompson John Thorrington
Sean Tse
Axel Tuanzebe Guillermo Varela Marnick Vermijl
Frédéric Veseli Dennis Viollet Danny Welbeck Billy Whelan Norman Whiteside
Ro-Shaun Williams Matty Willock Marc Wilson
Jamie Wood
Hussein Yasser
Ron-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 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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