Manchester United Provides A Higher Education

Five of Manchester United’s next six Barclays Premier League games could conceivably include reunions with products of the Reds’ Academy – after a trio of West Brom men were at Old Trafford last weekend.

Baggies squad members Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans and James Chester enjoyed Reds careers of varying lengths, while Craig Cathcart (Watford), Danny Simpson and Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City), Josh King (Bournemouth), Robbie Brady (Norwich City), Phil Bardsley and Ryan Shawcross (both Stoke City) could all come up against their alma mater before 2015 is out.

In terms of providing young footballers with a platform on which to build a successful playing career, United’s system clearly works. For Tony Whelan, the club’s Head of Academy Coaching, regular Premier League encounters with Reds alumni provides glaring validation of United’s deeply engrained values.

"Without blowing our own trumpet, I think anybody would have to concede that these players have come through a system that has worked and helped them to become professional footballers," says Whelan, who came through the Reds’ ranks as a player under Sir Matt Busby. "They’ve come through a programme of education from a young age that has enabled them to reach a high level.

"We encourage players to have fun in football. We’re a family club, we care about the players and their welfare. So it’s not just about the football bit, which is obviously very important, but also treating them the right way as young people when they’re here. They’re already in love with the game when they come, we hope, but that love of the game is sustained by being here in the club trying to become as good as they can be.

"Ultimately, our aspiration as an Academy is to produce players for our first team, but the reality is that not everybody can meet that challenge. Not everybody can play at the absolutely top level, but we celebrate the fact that so many become professionals, because we want them to get a career. Statistics prove that that has happened over the years, and it’s absolutely something to celebrate.

"It speaks volumes for the work done by a lot of people for a long time. We’ve got a lot of people who’ve been here for over 20 years in different departments – scouts, coaches, education welfare staff, sports scientists, staff in the offices - and that continuum, I think, has helped, because the message hasn’t really changed. If you work hard, have a strong work ethic and you’ve got talent, then we can develop it."

Stemming back from even before Busby’s time, to the era of Manchester United Junior Athletic Club in the 1930s, the process is self-perpetuating. The great young players who represent the Reds and go on to make their name in the game are held up as examples for their successors to follow. Any who emulate those models join the list and become beacons for the next generation. History is all around the club, particularly with some revered names still remaining at the club after their retirement from playing.

"We teach the players that they’re following in the footsteps of some of the great players who’ve played here in the past,” says Whelan. "They’re following in the footsteps of the Busby Babes, and the principles that guided Sir Matt Busby and that generation, through to Sir Alex Ferguson and to this day players are going on that long journey from being a schoolboy player all the way up to the first team.

"Ultimately it’s hard to be a professional footballer. To get a year or two is great, but to get 10 years or more is great. It’s a wonderful achievement. Look at Ryan Giggs, who has basically had three careers at the club! He came through the youth academy and he’s a fantastic exemplar of our academy.

"Not just one year or five years, he had over 20 years at the top level. What does it take to do that? Hard work, discipline, talent, resilience… it wasn’t all plain sailing for him and that’s part of the life of a professional footballer. He’s a player we hold up in high esteem to our players because of his sustained achievement."

This feature first appeared in United Review, the official matchday programme.

Credit: Manutd.com