At a time when Manchester United’s first team is floundering, many fans are desperately turning to the academy to offer up some hope for the future.
United’s Under 21s are top of Premier League 2 with five wins from five, while Darren Fletcher’s Under 18s are level on points with league leaders Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim has so far been reluctant to use players from the academy, often opting for two goalkeepers on the bench rather than calling on an exciting youngster.
But with pressure mounting on his job and too many senior players underperforming, Daily Mail Sport picks out seven academy stars that should be knocking on the door of the first-team squad in the near future…
1. JJ Gabriel
Age: 14 Position: Left wing/striker
Far and away the most exciting talent in Manchester United’s academy right now.
Gabriel, who is playing against (and dominating) players four years older than him, is one of the most sought-after academy footballers in Europe.
At 14, he is too young to play any part in the first-team group this season, but that didn’t stop the club recently arranging a meeting between the youngster and Amorim to map out his trajectory.
Gabriel is expected to join first-team training at some stage this season after Amorim spent parts of pre-season watching footage of him during internal flights on the US tour.
Gabriel, who has been tracked by elite European clubs such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona for the past five years, primarily plays as a left winger but has also been used as a false nine by Fletcher this season.
JJ Gabriel, 14, is playing against, and dominating, kids four years older than him as he shines for Darren Fletcher’s Manchester United Under 18s
Gabriel, 14, is being lined up as the face of Nike’s Mercurial brand
He is joint-second top scorer in the Under 18s Premier League with seven goals from six games and the United hierarchy expect his development to accelerate rapidly. He is seen as having a ‘world-class’ ceiling as a player.
Director of football Jason Wilcox is a huge admirer of Gabriel, as was his predecessor Dan Ashworth.
His dad, former Republic of Ireland international Joe O’Cearuill, changed the family’s surname to Gabriel in a nod to their religious beliefs, as well as making the United starlet more marketable. It also helps with Nike’s long-term plan to make him the face of their Mercurial brand, as first revealed by Daily Mail Sport.
2. Jayden Ngwashi
Age: 17 Position: Centre back
Half an hour before Manchester United’s first team emerged from the tunnel to take on Arsenal in their season opener at Old Trafford, United’s director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, was deep in conversation with two rising stars.
One was Gabriel, sat in the directors’ box with his family, and next to him was Ngwashi. The teenager, who has represented both England and Italy at youth level, had a brief chat with Vivell, a sign that he is firmly on the radar of the first-team decision-makers.
Centre back Ngwashi got the call-up to train with United’s first team last Friday and did not miss a beat.
United are blessed with defensive prospects but many academy observers see Ngwashi as having the highest ceiling of all.
While Godwill Kukonki is more imposing physically, 17-year-old Ngwashi is technically very accomplished and his composure on the ball has made him a hit with coaches.
Jayden Ngwashi, seen here playing for England Under 17s, is a classy central defender who has shone for United’s age groups
Last season he played both Under-18 and Under-21 football and has shown adaptability to play in a back four or as the right-sided centre back in a back three, a role he has also played for England.
His recovery pace is a huge plus, especially if playing a high line when stepping up to first-team football in the future.
The likes of Ayden Heaven and Tyler Fredricson are on the fringes of the first team, but it is Ngwashi that is the most exciting centre back prospect being developed at Carrington right now.
One scout that Daily Mail Sport spoke to believes Ngwashi’s ceiling is of a similar level to that of Crystal Palace and England’s Marc Guehi.
3. Jim Thwaites
Age: 17, Position: Central midfield
Despite having a name like an RAF pilot from World War Two, Thwaites arguably has the most European profile of any central midfielder at the club.
There are some concerns about his physical frame and whether he is lightweight – but his technique, low centre of gravity and ability to play out of the press is in no doubt.
Thwaites left a lasting impression on Amorim during United’s doomed post-season tour of Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong and was recently drafted into a first-team training session.
The youngster is somehow attempting to straddle three squad groups: leading the Under 18s as one of the most senior members of that dressing room, developing his game with the Under 21s and also trying to break his way into the first team.
Jim Thwaites has been made captain of Manchester United’s Under 18s to help with his leadership skills
Thwaites flies into a tackle earlier this season against Middlesbrough Under 18s
Under 18s boss Fletcher’s biggest challenge to Thwaites, who has drawn comparisons with Thiago Alcantara, is to develop his leadership skills and Fletcher has handed him the captain’s armband on occasion.
Thwaites is also widely seen as one of the best set-piece takers on the academy circuit, and models his dead-ball technique on that of David Beckham.
Thwaites is developing impressively at such a key juncture of his young career and with both Erik ten Hag and Amorim having tested him in first-team sessions, it is easy to see why fans are excited at the prospect of him anchoring the midfield in years to come.
4. Chido Obi
Age: 17 Position: Striker
It was headline news when Obi swapped Arsenal for United last year, believing they would provide a better pathway to first-team football.
Obi felt vindicated when he was handed his Premier League debut by Amorim away to Tottenham in February, and made a total of eight appearances in his debut season.
At 17 he is physically very dominant at academy level, allowing him to plunder goals, but that has previously covered up the areas of his game that he evidently needs to continue to work on.
While he was called up to first-team training in the wake of defeat to Brentford, he has largely been kept out of those sessions and has instead been with Travis Binnion’s Under 21s.
His finishing ability is not in any doubt on either foot, and with his head, but regular observers of Obi often note how coaches are constantly on his case to increase his work rate.
Striker Chido Obi, 17, is physically very dominant at academy level and has already made his first-team debut – and scored on the post-season tour of the Far East
He made eight appearances for Ruben Amorim’s side in his debut season
With no out-and-out backup to Benjamin Sesko as a No 9 – Joshua Zirkzee is seen as a No 10 in Amorim’s system – Obi’s development is of paramount importance for United in the next few seasons.
‘We have not even scraped the top of the iceberg with him yet,’ Binnion said recently of Obi. ‘There is loads to come. When you have scored as many goals as he has in his short life, you can define yourself by goals.
‘Only two or three strikers in the world get two goals in every three games. If you have been used to scoring two goals in every game, recognising what his role is, what his identity is and how he goes about it, takes a little bit of time.’
United have invested heavily to bring him to the club and to try and coax out the elite potential they believe he has. The next step is stitching it together at first team level.
5. Shea Lacey
Age: 18 Position: No 10/right wing
Superstar potential.
The 18-year-old playmaker, who has been beset by injuries in recent years, is the sort of player who looks to do something positive with the ball every time he gets it.
His spatial awareness and dribbling ability have drawn comparisons with Phil Foden, not least because both are slight of frame and can play either wide or as an inside forward.
While his brace having been brought on against Crystal Palace for the Under 21s caught headlines over the weekend, it was his cameo off the bench against Athletic Club at Old Trafford last week that best underlined why he is the one many are so excited by. On he came with United trailing and he injected new life into the contest for United, dribbling with purpose and getting fans off their seats.
Shea Lacey has been training with the United first team where his ability has surprised the likes of Harry Maguire
He has drawn comparisons with Phil Foden due to his slender frame and ability to dazzle on the ball
One of the lazy takes used against Lacey is that he won’t make the top level due to physicality – but he has shown throughout the age groups how to make a mockery of such claims.
At a recent win away to Liverpool’s Under 21s a stand full of scouts – from EFL and Premier League clubs – got up to leave once Lacey went off. In their mind, the show was over.
Harry Maguire and others in the first team have recently been taken aback by Lacey’s level having seen him up close in first team training and calls are growing louder to get him closer to a first-team matchday squad.
6.Tyler Fletcher
Age: 18 Position: Central midfield
One conversation recently in United academy circles was that while they may not be as flashy as some of their peers, the Fletcher brothers, sons of Under 18 coachs Darren, arguably have the most potential of any player coming through at Under-21 level. The pair were signed from Manchester City in the summer of 2024.
Tyler is a vocal leader on the pitch and operates as a deep-lying pivot in front of the defence. He has also been used as more of a box-to-box midfielder.
Many of his stats or performances do not immediately jump off the page but the eye test does not lie when it comes to Tyler who, unlike his brother Jack, plays for Scotland at international level.
Tyler is fundamentally a very sound footballer and will go on to have a great career. He could slot in now to play in Amorim’s double pivot, providing more mobility in that area than the underperforming Manuel Ugarte.
Staff around the first-team set-up speak highly of Tyler’s temperament and personality. He continues to be underrated from the outside but he is one of the most consistent high performers coming through at United.
Deep-lying midfielder Tyler Fletcher is very vocal on the pitch and has more mobility than the underperforming Manuel Ugarte
Jack (left) and Tyler Fletcher celebrate winning the Under 18 Premier League in 2024
7. Jack Fletcher
Age: 18 Position: Central midfield/No 10
At the back end of last season there were major question marks over Jack Fletcher and his overall conditioning. This season he has responded perfectly and is standing out from the crowd.
There are debates in academy circles as to where he is best suited with his preferred role as an attacking midfielder, or one of the No 10s in the current first team 3-4-2-1 system. More recently he has been tasked with filling in at left back, starting there against Athletic Club and Crystal Palace.
Fletcher is a very strong-ball carrier and has improved his finishing in recent seasons. He is not quite as vocal on the pitch as his brother but he does lead by example and has shown a willingness to wear the captain’s armband, doing so for England Under 18s.
First-team sources speak highly of Jack, who is seen as the closest to breaking into the first team group alongside Lacey at this present moment.
What the Fletcher brothers bring to matches is consistency in performance, influence on games as they never hide from the ball, and a wide range of passing from both deep and through the lines.
If Jack Fletcher does not make his first-team debut at some point this season it would be a huge disappointment given the direction his performances are trending.
