Jason Wilcox is set to bring a former Man City colleague to Manchester Unitedplaceholder image
Jason Wilcox is set to bring a former Man City colleague to Manchester United | Getty Images
Man Utd are set to make a key appointment at youth level and an exciting step for the club.
Manchester United are set to appoint Stephen Torpey as their new head of academy after the departure of Nick Cox to Everton.
Cox has agreed to join the Merseyside club as their new technical director after nine years with United, where he played a key role in their recent academy success. United won the FA Youth Cup in 2022 and have handed out 38 first-team debuts to academy players during his time in the role.
Torpey has worked as Brentford’s academy director since January 2024, having previously held the role of head of academy coaching at Man City before that. The 43-year-old worked closely with Jason Wilcox during their time together at City and is set to become his first major hire as director of football.
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It is understood Wilcox drove the recruitment process for a new head of academy, though it is not known when Torpey will be able to take the role. When it was announced Cox would leave the club, it was also confirmed would remain at United to ensure a smooth transition before he joined Everton.
Torpey has been considered a huge success at Brentford where he helped the academy earn Category Two status. The London club only relaunched an official academy system back in 2022 after six years utilising a B-team model.
He began his coaching career at youth level with Liverpool and worked as a lead foundation coach across various age groups before he joined City in 2014. Torpey was tasked to implement a 'Barcelona-style' coaching plan at the Etihad Stadium, which emphasised a distinctive style of play across all of the various age groups, so that academy players would be well acquainted with the tactical demands at first team level.
The system proved to be a success, with City hugely successful across different age groups while the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and James McAtee all went on to feature in the first-team under Pep Guardiola. Torpey also played a part in player coaching and recruitment at City and could be given the same responsibility in his new role.
During his time in the role, Cox was also involved in recruitment, player retention and coaching, while his duties also crossed over into logistics and education in a strategic leadership role.
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