This week's Man Utd academy notebook on the latest ongoings, brought to you by the Manchester Evening News.
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Godwill Kukonki
Godwill Kukonki recently made his England U17 debut(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
Hello and welcome to this week's Manchester United academy notebook.
The Manchester Evening News provide more coverage of United'sacademy than any other outlet and we experimented by publishing an academy notebook last season.
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The notebook was brought back during the 2024/25 campaign and its purpose is to provide readers with digestible information about the current ongoings around the youth setup.
It will be published every Wednesday and here is the latest academy news...
Kukonki to be tied down?
The MEN reported in October that Godwill Kukonki was seen as a young player who possesses the technical and physical qualities needed for senior football and he was called up to first-team training a month later.
Kukonki was named in a first-team squad for the first time against Arsenal on December 4, and Ruben Amorim said the youngster had "impressed" him and his maturity was noticeable.
Since then, Kukonki has continued to make strong progress in academy fixtures and United are looking to tie him down to his first professional contract, having turned 17 in February.
The latest on Lacey
Shea Lacey has generated immense interest among followers of the academy across the last few years, which shouldn't be a surprise because he is a supremely talented young player.
That does mean fans are desperate for updates when Lacey isn't a matchday squad, though.
The youngster missed the start of the season due to a minor muscle injury and he continues to be carefully handled by United, who are being cautious with his long-term future in mind.
Lacey has been absent for the last three Under-18 games and United are being overly cautious to protect him. Little niggles are part of the game and can be played through, but the club don't want to rush Lacey because they view him as a future first-team prospect and, ultimately, a valuable player.
The 17-year-old will be frustrated to have missed some time on the pitch this season, but he should be primed for pre-season and undoubtedly has the talent to catch Amorim's attention.
Shea Lacey
Shea Lacey is one the most exciting players in the academy.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Amass makes his debut
It was great to see Harry Amass make his debut against Leicester before the international break. The youngster was on the cusp of a first-team breakthrough at the beginning of the season but was overlooked by Erik ten Hag, so he got his reward for responding to that setback by working hard.
Amass came across brilliantly during his post-match chat with MUTV. The left-back had a wide grin on his face throughout the interview and said he was "grateful" for the "incredible experience."
There was loan interest in Amass in the January transfer window and United prepared him physically, but he wasn't going to leave for the sake of it and an appropriate offer didn't arrive.
Aston Villa were also linked with a permanent move for Amass, but a source indicated he was "really happy" in Manchester and focused on achieving his goal of making a senior debut.
Harry Amass
Harry Amass' debut was well-deserved.(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Giggs watches United youngsters
England's Under-19s won 2-0 against Wales last week and there was a United legend in the stand to watch Ethan Wheatley score the opening goal against Gabriele Biancheri's side in Bangor.
Wheatley and Biancheri are both striker products from United's academy, but they were on different sides as Wales welcomed England for the U19 European Championship qualifier.
Ryan Giggs was there to watch, and the involvement of United academy talents wouldn't have gone unnoticed by the 51-year-old, who was there to watch his daughter's boyfriend.
Ethan Wheatley during an England U19s game
Ethan Wheatley scored for England's U19s.
The FA Youth Cup semi-final
United will play Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup on Monday and they have beaten Arsenal, Chelsea, Preston North End and Coventry on their journey in the competition.
The game will be played at Villa Park and the U18s will be supported by travelling United fans. Thankfully, Aston Villa beat Plymouth Argyle in the quarter-finals of the Youth Cup, which saved me from making the 560-mile trip to one of the most southern points of England.
If United beat Aston Villa, they could face Manchester City in the final of the Youth Cup and that would almost certainly be played at Old Trafford, which should be added motivation.