An institution grooming exceptional into average - Accessing Man United’s Academy as well as first team's top talents down the years

A host of top teams in Europe have benefited from integrating graduating players from their Academy into the first team down the years.

Catch them young; many top teams prefer snapping up exciting players in the later stages of their development from their boyhood clubs to in the near future make them first team regulars.

Some have build a reputation of promoting players from their system to the first team. Teams like Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal and others have good history with players who have come through the ranks at their clubs.

Barcelona's golden generation was a concentration of players from their famous La Masia Academy. Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andreas Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Gérard Piqué and others were students at the club, progressing thereon to become club legends.

Today, there are the likes of Pedri Gonzalez, Ansu Fati, Pablo Gavi, Alejandro Balde and more, starting regularly for the first team, continuing the legacy and keeping the club's name relevant.

The Ajax Academy in recent times have produced the likes of Frenkie De Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, Jurrien Timber, Donny van de Beek, Kenneth Taylor and several others.

Borussia Dortmund specializes more on players in the later stages of their development. Though, they are unable to keep them for long due to lack of significant achievements as Bayern's dominance has proven too strong to conquer in the since the start of the past decade.

Instead, Dortmund signed these young players and monitor their development, giving them to chance to transform into world beaters to in sell them for considerably huge fee.

Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho have been some of their most popular exports in the last couple of summers while Jude Bellingham is expected to become another big sale by The Black and Yellow.

Arsenal currently have Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli, players who have been at the club since their childhood or in the later stages of their development, the later which is the case for Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba.

Though both Saliba and Martinelli were never from Hale End but they joined the club as teenagers and it was how proficient the Gunners handled their developments that made them stay longer, to become first team regulars today.

Eberechi Eze, Michael Oise, Serge Gnabry, Alex Iwobi, Donyell Malen, Joseph Willock, and several others have graduated or once graced the books at Arsenal's Hale End Academy and are doing very fine in Europe today.

Mason Mount, Reece James, Conor Gallagher, Trevor Chalobah are making strides with the Chelsea first team today while the likes of Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Billy Gilmour, Tariq Lamptey to say the least have moved on and are doing fine in their new environment.

Even at Manchester City, a club with reputation of signing big, Phil Foden is one of their Academy products and has become a mainstay at the club. Producing consistent performances, with future so bright he is no less than anyone of his age bracket, even featuring in the Ballon d'or top 30 in back-to-back seasons.

Romeo Lavia, Samuel Edozie, Jayden Braaf and goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu all left the club's Academy this summer, sealing promising move in search for more first team opportunities.

Many of them have become regulars in top five leagues despite their young ages. While it is also kind to note that Jadon Sancho was from the Manchester City academy and when he joined their city rivals from Dortmund, the Ethiad Landlords got a percentage from the transfer fee.

Many of these clubs have earned handsomely from selling some their Academy graduates, who can not continue or will not break into the first team.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 ?

Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, only Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay have graduated from the Manchester United Academy and be integrated into the senior team.

Jesse Lingard would also have a shout but he had been promoted before the Ferguson's retirement even though more of his years at the club was post the retirement of the legendary Manager.

Mason Greenwood is another top prospect, whose development is currently suspended due to his being charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning bodily harm.

The duo of Rashford and McTominay have endured a contrasting fortune. No question about the talent of Marcus Rashford but the forward has battled with series of injuries and lack of consistency, but he represents a proud symbol of Carrington and the fans love him even just for that.

The other is not so loved by the fans even so for his recent performance at Stamford Bridge, where he came off the bench to give away a penalty with a rather silly foul on Armando Broja from a Chelsea corner.

McTominay is one of the most criticized players at the club but the Scottish midfielder is still here, over five years since making his first team debut.

The signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid in the summer is expected to finally limit the involvement of McTominay, who many United fans wish is gone from the club having been qualified a mediocre.

Aside this two, there have also been others but none of them was able to withstand the test of time or possess enough fight to make it at the club.

Starting from the later days of their legendary Manager, Ferguson, there was one Federico Machaeda, the Italian who became popular after he scored a very crucial winner in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on his first team debut back in April 2009.

Many tipped him for greatness having already impressed with Lazio before joining the Manchester United Academy in 2007. He even continued that form throughout his youth career but once brought to the challenge of the first team, he was no where near quality.

Couple of loan spells before finally leaving the club in 2014.

Will Keane is another top prospect, who joined the United Academy aged 11. At a very young age of 14, he already represented the Under-18 in a match against Sheffield United.

He was so good that he was awarded a scholarship in 2009 and scored 13 goals in 26 games for the Under-18s in the 2009/10 season. That same year, he was part of the England team that won the 2010 European Under-17 Football Championship in Liechtenstein.

In the end, he made his first team debut for United in December 2011 as a substitute in a league defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

After recovering from a knee injury sustained while representing the England under-19s, Keane was sent out on a couple of loan spell before finally securing a permanent move away in 2016. He totalled three appearances, all as substitutes for United.

Will's twin, Michael Keane, currently plays for Everton was also as impressive for the Manchester United youth, same time as his brother. Michael Keane was a promising young center back and after a couple of games with the first team, he was loaned out to Burnley in the summer of 2014.

However, Manchester United could not even wait to see how well he get on at senior level and the deal was made permanent in the January of 2015. At the end of his first full season with Burnley, he was so good that he was shortlisted amongst the seven candidates for the PFA Young Player of The Year.

He joined Everton for around £30 million from Burnley but United wouldn't even get much for selling him for an undisclosed fee just two and a half years earlier.

Dean Henderson has been one of the best shot stoppers in England since his first loan move to Sheffield United but still could not get to fight for a starting spot at the club, despite David de Gea’s shortcomings.

Even this now on loan at Nottingham Forest, hardly there is any other goalkeeper in the division who has had a better season than the Englishman. But one does not need to be a prophet to foretold what will happen when he returns to United at the end of the loan spell.

What do they teach at the other club's Academy that is lacking in Carrington ? Most of the players graduating from here have not what it take to thrive at top level, even though most of them are talented.

How many top teams will table bids to Manchester United if today they decide to sell Scott McTominay ? Many of the Academy players who have left the club in the past, were they able to get a chance with top teams ?

Where are they, Adnan Januzaj, Joshua King, Tom Cleverly, Danny Simpson, Angel Gomez, Paddy McNair, Nicky Ajose, Nick Powell, Tom Lawrence and so many other prospects snapped up by the Manchester United Academy ?

None of these players went on to fulfil their potentials and you ask what is being taught to scholars in the club's development centers as these long-term shortcomings is transmitting into the development of the current players.

James Garner was one of the best to ensue from Carrington in recent years. The young sensation was loaned out to Nottingham Forest last season, where he impressed and helped the club secure promotion back to the topflight for the first time since 1999.

Despite playing in a position where Manchester United lacked quality, he is not trusted enough by a youth loving manager like Erik Ten Hag, to get a run in the senior team and was sold to Everton last summer for £15 million.

But that did not begin today. A young Wilfred Zaha was signed in January 2013 but was never given the time needed to star for the club. After a couple of loan spells, left permanently in 2015 and is today one of the best wingers in the in the Premier League.

Tahith Chong was another of their promising prospects but despite his flairs and tricks, only Championship side, Birmingham City came for him on loan, before he joined them permanently for around £2 million.

Zidane Iqbal 19, Shola Shoretire 18, Hannibal Mejbri 19, and Alejandro Garnacho 18, have all been hyped but can not get a chance with the first team.

What is the mentality being installed into these young players at the delicate stage of their development that has hindered their progress as it did their predecessors ? Questions need to be asked now.

If United feel the club is too reputable to rely on young players growing into world beaters, it will be kind to remind them that Fede Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, who were very crucial in Madrid’s triumph both domestically and in Europe last season were players who joined as teens.

Even themselves have paid huge transfer fees to secure Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Antony from their respective clubs, who have only grown them to worth so much in just three to four years or even less.

“If they are good enough, they are old enough.” a quote by late Sir Matt Busby is applicable here again. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Pedri Gonzalez, Jamal Musiala and more have been playing with the first team before they turn 18 so there is no excuse for not affording chance to the youngsters.

It won't be too long that other top teams will come to lure them away and if again it is the lower teams that come for them, you would then love to again ask what they are really cooking in Carrington.

We've seen other top teams signed players from the Academy of other top teams and vice versa. Just last summer, Chelsea signed Omari Hutchinson and Carney Chukwuemeka from the Academy of Arsenal and Aston Villa respectively.

Why don't they ever come for players in the ranks at Manchester United ? But before this, you might want to as why do players who come through the ranks at United don't get trusted enough by the club itself ?

A good number of the Manchester United Academy graduate are only able to find home in the Championship or lower leagues. For an elite club like the Red Devils, it is better not having one at all than investing on one with such reputation.

As per CIES Football, Manchester United rank fifth in the list of cubs with most Academy players in Europe's top five leagues, yet, despite the numbers (28 players), not a recognized number is making strides or popular for being a United Academy graduate.

Manchester United spent around £40 million on Amad Diallo from Atalanta when he was 18 but few years on, no team will be willing to pay even a quarter of that for his signature.

The club can't even get him a decent loan move to continue his development. Last season, Diallo was with Rangers and made only 13 appearances and this season, he is with Sunderland in the Championship, the obvious destination for a United prospect.

United should have learnt a lesson or two with what transpired between Arsenal and Serge Gnabry. The Gunners did not pay much attention to the German's development when they sent him on loan to West Brom and he grew frustrated, demanded to leave in the end.

Few years on, he is one of the stars of the game and playing for one of the best club and country in world football. Arsenal looked to have learnt their lesson though but there is United, still falling in the same pit repeatedly.

What are they getting wrong with player development in Carrington ? With the level of investment being made to groom players and no significant success has been recorded in recent years, would Manchester United not fare better without an Academy ?

Maybe. Just maybe.

The curse has seemingly beset the senior team. Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2009 is arguably the last player to sign for a top club from Manchester United.

Other teams’ players, even in the later stages of their careers still get big moves.

Sadio Mané joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool. Robert Lewandowski joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich. Luis Suarez joined Atletico Madrid from Barcelona. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona from Arsenal. Alexandre Lacazette also joined Lyon from Arsenal.

Chelsea brought in Thiago Silva after the end of his PSG contract. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen moved to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively from Chelsea. Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro to Juventus and Manchester United respectively.

Even Juventus sold a 36 year old Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United and at a time loaned Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea.

However, once a player signed for Manchester United, it's like they have secured the biggest move they will ever get thereon.

Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Harry Maguire or even Anthony Martial, who has a Ballon d'or clause in his contract, are players signed for huge fee but how many of those will top teams be interested in luring away from the club ?

It is understandable to think no top team will be willing to let go of their top performers but how many can Manchester United count of their players, who has been consistent in recent years to even catch the eye of other top teams ?

Those who have, are only able to do so once they leave the club because they were never given a chance to even star. What is Manchester United getting wrong in Carrington, just what ?

Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi