WHAT THE PLAYERS HAVE SAID
“Last season was very disappointing to get knocked out in round four,” said right-back Jaydan Kamason at Old Trafford, when previewing the game for us.
“We were the favourites and we fell short. This season, we’ve started really well. There’s still a long way to go in the semis and the final but we have scored a lot of goals, we’ve played well as a team, and we want to keep that going at Villa Park.
“I think the competition just holds a lot of weight. It’s a very prestigious tournament and, obviously, United have won a lot of Youth Cups in the past. We want to be our own team. Everyone’s watching when you play in the Youth Cup, especially when you get to the latter rounds, and we want to show what we’re capable of.”
THE STORY SO FAR
ROUND THREE: 5-1 v COVENTRY CITY (Biancheri 3, Obi 2) – 18 December
Seeking to right the wrong of both last season’s early exit and the previous week’s UEFA Youth League defeat, United wasted little time by scoring three goals in the opening 13 minutes.
“It’s always nice to get a dominant performance in the first game,” reviewed Lawrence.
“The boys attacked them in a variety of ways. Once we got that lead, it was about the good habits, being professional in the right moments. We did that, killed the game off and were comfortable.”
ROUND FOUR: 5-2 v PRESTON NORTH END (J. Fletcher, Munro, Obi 2, Ibragimov) – 17 January
Another fast start at Leigh established a four-goal half-time lead against PNE, who had put four past Liverpool in the previous round. United overcame the visitors’ second-half resurgence to triumph.
“The boys got into a rhythm well,” Lawrence said.
“With a four-goal half-time lead you want to maintain that, but there’s some lessons for our lads because Preston did well. They tested us.”