Manchester United have work to do at academy levelplaceholder image
Manchester United have work to do at academy level | Getty Images
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe criticised the club's academy during the recent international break.
Ruben Amorim agrees that Manchester United have work to do if they are to 'improve' their academy set-up. United have always boasted one of the finest youth academies in sport, but co-owner Jim Ratcliffe recently claimed standards have 'really slipped' in recent years.
United spent £50 million to redevelop their Carrington training complex in the summer, though the focus was on improving first-team facilities rather than youth resources. It means the U21 and U18 are housed in temporary cabins in the players’ car park, as no plans were made for their inclusion in the revamped complex.
There has also been a change of approach with regard to player retention, with United more open to selling academy products, though there is still work to do if they are to make as much money as Liverpool and Man City do from youth transfers.
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Speaking during the October international break, Ratcliffe told The Times’ The Business Podcast: “The other thing that we haven’t even begun to start with is the academy, which is fundamentally important in football. The academy has really slipped at Manchester United. But you need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. And you have to have a certain number of British players in your squad.”
United have famously had an academy product in every first-team matchday squad since 1937, while their U18s and U21s are currently top of their respective leagues. However, Amorim agrees with Ratcliffe that they have work to do if they are to be the best academy in world football again.
"I think we can always improve," he said at his pre-match press conference. "I am not the best guy because I am here for a year and our results are not so good. So I'm, not going to be the guy to say that the academy not in good shape. What I know is that especially now, with the fair play, with the feeling for the club, the academy is really important.
“We need to take care of that. We also need to give the right conditions for all the people to do a better job. We are paying attention to that, we are bringing people, always in contact with Travis, trying to bring right kids for training, make that relationship with the academy. We have a lot to improve, not just in the academy, but in the aspects of the club."
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