Manchester United Under-18s take on Crystal Palace in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals tonight.
United entered the competition in the third round, beating Peterborough in their opening game at Old Trafford in December. The U18s are a talented crop and have overcome Derby County, Oxford United and Sunderland in subsequent rounds to earn a spot in the semi-finals of the Youth Cup.
Darren Fletcher, manager of the U18s, has the talent at his disposal to lift the trophy, with the likes of JJ Gabriel, Kai Rooney, Louie Bradbury and Yuel Helafu all ready to contribute.
And the competition rules state Fletcher will be able to call upon academy players who were under the age of 18 at midnight before the end of August, which gives United added strength.
United could face Manchester City at the Etihad in the Youth Cup final, which is extra motivation ahead of tonight's game.
Follow for live match updates from Old Trafford.
Carrick has shown admirable support for the academy since his appointment in January, attending several youth games, but he won't be at tonight's match because he is travelling to London to prepare for tomorrow's Premier League game against Chelsea. Carrick followed the U21s against Real Madrid on MUTV from the Republic of Ireland last week, and will likely keep an eye on the score tonight.
(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
United have not held discussions with Adam Lawrence over staying at the club beyond this season. In January, Lawrence returned to United to manage the Under-21s for the remainder of the campaign.
Travis Binnion was formerly United's U21 manager, but he stepped up to the first team to help Darren Fletcher during his caretaker stint and was subsequently appointed to Michael Carrick's backroom staff.
The reshuffle created a vacancy with the U21s. Lawrence was formerly United Under-18 manager but stepped away from the role last summer before spending four months managing Newcastle's U21s.
The Manchester Evening News reported earlier in January that Lawrence's return was being considered. Positive discussions took place, and the appointment was seen as mutually beneficial for both parties. United announced Lawrence would manage the U21s as interim for the remainder of the campaign.
(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe singled out the Manchester United academy as having "slipped" with some of his customary direct feedback in October, he highlighted the appointment of Stephen Torpey as evidence of change.
Torpey is the latest Old Trafford recruit from the Manchester City blueprint Ratcliffe so admires, and that introduction from the United co-owner was pretty clear.
“The academy has really slipped at Manchester United," Ratcliffe said. "You need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. That’s not a light switch. You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time.”
United's first team will play just 40 games this season. An unusually sparse schedule at first team level has led to heightened interest in the club's academy, as has the emergence of young talents like JJ Gabriel.
Torpey wants to develop some of the country's best young players at Carrington. Gabriel, who has scored 23 goals in 25 appearances for the U18s this season, fits that billing.
Hello and welcome to tonight's FA Youth Cup semi-final live blog from Old Trafford.
The U18s will continue their Youth Cup campaign against Crystal Palace, and a decent crowd will likely attend to see a talented squad managed by Darren Fletcher in action.
Join us for build-up, updates throughout the game and reaction.
(Image: 2022 Getty Images)