In January 2000, United were floundering at the foot of the Football League when a 17-year-old Paul Reid made his defensive debut. They were very much on the slide when Jarrad Branthwaite, at the same age, was offered a regular chance at the back in the autumn of 2019.
Paul Murray’s first serious run in the side came in the anti-climactic season of 1995/96. Matt Jansen became a regular in another relegation term, 1997/98. Kyle Dempsey’s debut came in the nosedive campaign of 2013/14 and he was entrusted with a consistent pick in the following season’s strife. Most recently, the decision to pick the young local lad in goal (Gabe Breeze) for the duration, in place of the six-figure signing (Harry Lewis), was made at a time of crisis.
There is another common thread, along with the relatively similar circumstances. It is that the boys thrived. Hard times were character-building, no doubt, but also character revealing. Reid defied his years to perform better than many more experienced colleagues. Branthwaite did not take long to show that, yes, he was probably a better shout than the likes of Nathaniel Knight-Percival.
Murray was brilliant in a relegation-bound team. Jansen sparkled in another. Dempsey, individually, defied his team-mates' downward team momentum. Breeze was an isolated success as Carlisle lost their EFL status.
And so if the temptation is to argue that it would be better and more sensitive to give young players their moment when the team is on a better course, it often simply doesn’t always work that way. Had Martin Wilkinson’s United been powering through 99/00 with a robust defensive record, there would have been less inclination to say, sod it, let’s throw in the kid.
Had Knight-Percival and Byron Webster formed an iron barrier in Steven Pressley’s team – leap of imagination, I know – Branthwaite might not have pushed through so soon. Had Graham Kavanagh assembled a team whose experienced qualities could carry United, rather than imperil them, would Dempsey have been able to stake such an immediate claim?
Paul Reid was thrown in at 17 during a time of need in 1999/2000 - and thrived _(Image: Jonathan Becker)_
One can look back through United’s history and mount alternative arguments. For every Rob Edwards (a 17-year-old who soared amid strife in the early 1990s) there are others for whom you would have wished a more settled club environment had existed. What chance, realistically, did John Slaven – still the Blues’ youngest-ever player – have to build on his debut at 16 in the spring of 2002, given the chaos engulfing United at the fag-end of Michael Knighton’s reign?
So it may not be that one rule fits all. But if there is the prospect of some consistency, at least, then one is tempted to say: get them in. Particularly when what has hitherto been favoured is not working out so well, either in general or in a specific zone.
This brings us, ten paragraphs in, to Hayden Atkinson. The 17-year-old defender, who impressed as a substitute at Blackpool in the FA Cup last Sunday, has a “great future”, according to Mark Hughes. But what if that future is also now?
United’s head coach, and indeed the wise heads around him like Frankie McAvoy and Gavin Skelton, do not to need recommendations on the best way to introduce young players. It is simply fascinating enough now to ask whether a moment has emerged, sooner than some may have hoped, to take a look at Atkinson’s claims?
The tone of Hughes’ comment, and indeed what many have been saying about Atkinson for a while, implies that this is not just a young player out of the academy who might have half a chance, given a fair wind. They believe a serious professional is in the making. So why delay unduly in finding out?
Carlisle went about this campaign determined to stock their central defensive options, yet right now this is not a totally convincing area given that United cannot keep clean sheets right now. After achieving six in their first nine games of 2025/26, they have managed only two in their last 16. On Wednesday night’s evidence, the next shut-out does not appear around the corner (in proper league combat, that is – one should at least be within their grasp at Harborough Town today).
Jarrad Branthwaite's claims ahead of more experienced options were soon clear in 2019 _(Image: Barbara Abbott)_
Of the senior options, Morgan Feeney appears the most settled. Aaron Hayden did not have a good night against Woking, and nor did Jack Ellis impress at Blackpool. Bevis Mugabi’s return to fitness is welcome, while Terell Thomas is injured for a decent duration.
All of the above can perform there, that much we know. And Carlisle’s rather shaky work in the protection of their own goal is not just a centre-half matter. Yet if something is not working regularly enough in the pitiless demand of a promotion race, could and should a chance yet be coming for a young man of high potential?
Atkinson returned from Workington Reds with positive reviews both for his defending and adaptability, having played in various positions. His cameo upon his third senior appearance at Blackpool drew praise from team-mates. His handling of Georgie Kelly in pre-season training was reported with some amazement by Thomas.
There is nothing to guarantee it would go perfectly, that some teenage errors would not occur along the way. Of course they would. Careful nurturing of young talent must always govern such decisions. Yet, as United are witnessing, experienced errors can also cause problems, and older legs and years are not always the safeguard imagined.
There might be less to lose, at a time of certain need, than one thinks by turning to prodigious youth, or at least raising the possibility a little higher. Another comment from Hughes: “You've got to be patient as a young player, but when you get those moments, and circumstances dictate that all of a sudden the door opens for you, you've got to stride through it and make sure you take your chance.” So let us see.