Manchester United are renowned for having one of the best youth academies in England, although not all of their youngsters make the grade at Old Trafford.
For every Paul Scholes or Kobbie Mainoo, there are countless other examples of youngsters who slip through the cracks at United.
We’ve taken a closer look at their former academy players and have found seven of them currently playing in non-league.
Corry Evans
After progressing through the youth ranks as a youngster, Evans made the bench for United on three occasions but never made a senior appearance for the club.
After leaving Old Trafford in 2011, Evans enjoyed a successful career in the Championship, where he played for the likes of Hull City, Blackburn and Sunderland.
He was still playing in the Championship as recently as last season, but a nasty ACL injury has since forced him to drop down the leagues.
Now aged 34, the midfielder is currently playing for Oldham Athletic in the National League.
Jacob Butterfield
Most known for his spells with Barnsley, Derby and Huddersfield, Butterfield did spend some of his formative years in the United academy.
After spending the majority of his career playing in the EFL, the 34-year-old now plays for Gateshead in the National League.
Callum Gribbin
The attacking midfielder spent 11 years in the United academy and even drew comparisons to Ryan Giggs as a youngster.
However, despite being highly rated in the academy, injuries halted his breakthrough and he was ultimately released by the club in 2019.
Since leaving United, injuries have continued to haunt the 24-year-old, who now plays for Warrington Rylands in the seventh tier of English football.
“I definitely see football differently now,” Gribbin told The Mirror last year.
“As a kid, I just loved it. Then you get older and you realise it’s ruthless and not as you imagined when you were growing up. I can understand why so many people fall out of love with it.
“I’ve not gone through that myself – I don’t think I have ever fallen out of love with it. But you do have this distaste for it sometimes because there are parts of the game that are cruel.”
D’Mani Mellor
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed Mellor his senior debut for United in 2019, but an ACL injury stalled his progression.
After spending the entire 2020-21 campaign on the sidelines, the youngster eventually left United to join Wycombe in 2022.
He then spent a couple of years on the books at Wycombe, but struggled to establish himself in the squad, spending spells out on lown with the likes of Rochdale and Sutton United.
Now aged 24, the striker currently plays for Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League and is managed by Robbie Savage of all people.
Lee Martin
The attacking midfielder spent several years on the books at Old Trafford and made three appearances for the club before he was sold to Ipswich Town in 2009 for £1.5million.
Martin enjoyed the best spell of his career at Ipswich and also had spells with Millwall, Gillingham and Exeter City, before dropping out of the Football League.
The 38-year-old has been playing non-league football since 2020 and currently plays for Ramsgate in the Isthmian League South East Division.
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Callum Dolan
While Dolan is technically still on the books at Fleetwood Town in League Two, he has spent the last two years playing out on loan in non-league.
The midfielder started his youth career at United and spent seven years in their academy before he left in 2017.
During his career so far, the 24-year-old has racked up 15 appearances in the Football League, but the majority of his games have been in non-league.
This season, he’s continued his development on loan with Oldham Athletic in the National League.
Otis Khan
Kahn spent 10 years in the United academy from 2002 to 2012, but he didn’t make his professional debut until he joined Sheffield United.
Throughout his career, the 29-year-old has rarely stuck around in one place for long and he’s currently playing for Yeovil Town in the National League where he’s on loan from Oldham Athletic.
Interestingly, Khan has been capped nine times by Pakistan, who he is eligible to play for because of his grandfather.