Local Core Still Vital

Academy coach Paul McGuinness has Manchester United blood running through his veins and is acutely aware of the responsibility to help produce players with the right attributes on and off the field.

Following a campaign in which a small squad managed a fourth-placed finish in the Barclays Under-18 Premier League, preparations are already under way for 2015/16 in terms of reshaping the group. To be added into the mix is a batch of first-year scholars - many of whom have already played for the side as schoolboys - and the older players will move up to join Warren Joyce's Under-21s.

There has long been a policy of regularly combining age groups to help ensure the pre-season process does not jar, and there is the prospect of an Under-19 squad needing to be formed for the UEFA Youth League providing Louis van Gaal's men qualify for the Champions League group stages.

"Mixing age groups, where some players train with the Reserves and the first team, is something we do well," McGuinness told ManUtd.com. "It’s always a feature of what we do. You learn by being at the top of your age group as the oldest player and then you move up to the bottom of the next group and learn from more experienced players. It happens almost by osmosis because you’re training alongside them and you can see what they do. Picking up on their good habits is a vital part of it.

"We have some games that are a mix of age groups. A 12-year-old might play against an 18-year-old and when that 18-year-old later plays in the first team, the younger boy will feel it's like his older brother making the breakthrough into the senior side. The older boy is someone he can relate to."

Planning a team can be difficult for McGuinness as youngsters still eligible for Under-18 level, possibly including skipper Axel Tuanzebe, could be earmarked for a slot in the Under-21s. Similarly, schoolboys are likely to be utilised again where appropriate - young striker Angel Gomes is among those who have already had a taste of playing in the Under-18s, in the final game of last season at Middlesbrough.

"It depends on what size squad the Reserves have and whether they'll need some of our second-year scholars to move up," explained McGuinness. "That could happen and might leave us a bit short in the Under-18s but we’ll have to do what’s best for the individual players. If it’s the best thing for the Reserves and the best thing for the players, then we might do that and have a really young Under-18s team. We’ll just have to see how it works out. We could do with more numbers and need one or two new players."

With homegrown players becoming increasingly valuable, there is a focus on ensuring individuals continue to work their way through the system, having been with the club since an early age. Van Gaal regularly demonstrates his belief in young talent and the objective of injecting fresh blood into the first-team group.

"We had it with the 'Class of 92' and the Busby Babes," said McGuinness. "The young players who go into the first team feel they have grown up at the club so they go the extra mile. That is a core pillar of the Manchester United philosophy - homegrown players will give you more loyalty, more drive and what they always provide is that extra feeling. It was Sir Matt Busby's idea to have a family spirit and you do get more from these boys.

"Fans want to see a local lad do well and I think they are more forgiving of them. No matter what some people say, Manchester United have a massive core of fans from Manchester and they know it's great to see a local lad make his mark.

"That’s the whole point of what we’re doing," he asserted. "We may not have won the Under-18 league, but when you talk about what we do it’s not so much a case of getting success over the season, it’s more about how much value you can add to a player. If you think of the schoolboys, the value added has been huge. We just missed out on the league title at the last hurdle when the team ran out of legs but we added huge value to the players over the season.

"You see the same type of value added in Paddy McNair. He couldn’t get into the Under-18 team half the time because he wasn’t fully grown into his body. Then he went up to the Under-21s and made huge physical strides. You can see the value added over that period and, in a short amount of time, he was in the first team. Wow! Paddy is a fantastic example and the same goes for Tyler Blackett, Adnan Januzaj, James Wilson and Andreas Pereira. Obviously, those boys now need to get a regular first-team place but they're an inspiration for the other young players and it gives us great pleasure to see them doing well."

Credit: Skysports.com