Club insiders, player parents and Ruben Amorim's Sporting youth coach tell The i Paper what's really going on behind the scenes at Carrington's talent factory
It is the only thing that elicits pride left. As all else at Manchester United has lurched from one disaster to the next, each week there remains a brief moment supporters can still find pleasure in.
In a world of unfathomable Premier League riches, the fact that United have had at least one academy graduate in every matchday squad since 1937 fills red hearts with unbridled joy. Maintaining that one ray of light has bordered on obsession.
Sources told The i Paper that Ruben Amorim singling out Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Amass and Chido Obi was perhaps ill-advised – but they admitted his overall point, that many of the youngsters were not good enough for the first team yet, is a view shared by others behind the scenes.
Crowbarring them into the starting XI for the sake of it would only be to satisfy tradition.
‘Ruben wants quality’
Those who know the besieged United boss do not believe Amorim has any predetermined aversion to blooding young players. Quite the opposite.
“Like with United, the DNA of Sporting is to give youth a chance,” Filipe Celikkaya, who worked with Amorim at Sporting as coach of the B side and with the academy, tells The i Paper.
“The best full-back in the world, Nuno Mendes, got his professional debut with us when he was 17. Geovany Quenda (aged 17) and Dario Essugo (16), who Chelsea signed for £60m last season both got debuts under Ruben.
“I don’t know what people in Manchester are worried about with Ruben. If the quality is there, he will use it. If players realise that every day, in training, it is a chance to show they are good enough, they will get in.”
There is a feeling among many that not only do the current academy crop not possess sufficient quality, they also lack the discipline required to emulate their famous – and unhelpfully ubiquitous – Class of ’92 forefathers.
Amass and Chido Obi both posted Instagram stories that were swiftly deleted in response to Amorim’s jibes. Amass posted a photo of himself with an individual award at Sheffield Wednesday and Obi shared a video of him celebrating a goal.
Meanwhile Mainoo’s brother, Jordan, was pictured in the Old Trafford stands with a “Free Kobbie Mainoo” t-shirt. Whether Mainoo actually knew what his brother was up to is unclear, but the move still poured further fuel on the tensions with Amorim.
What academy players do to develop
United do all they can do get their youngsters ready for life in the United fast lane. Everything is geared around player development, rather than winning youth matches, unlike at other academies.
“It’s not the sort of academy where individuals stand out,” one source with knowledge of the academy’s workings, tells The i Paper.
“We always have a pool of high potential candidates. We just try and expose those players to different experiences over time.
“The youngsters play up an age group to get ready. They play in a variety of positions. They go into full-time educational at Ashton on Mersey or Manchester Grammar school early, education designed specifically for that player. We take them all over the world to gain life experience, too.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: JJ Gabriel of Manchester United celebrates scoring his teams seventh goal and his hat trick during the U18 Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Liverpool FC Academy on November 29, 2025 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Poppy Townson - MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)
JJ Gabriel is one of Man Utd’s brightest prospects (Photo: Getty)
“Kobbie went to Boston as a 12-year-old to play a tournament, training camps in Cadiz with the first team. To be able to express such skills, you must have the psychological qualities – cope with the pressure and scrutiny from a young age.
“Before you can say you are a Man Utd player, you have to get to say 50 or 100 games. That’s the difference.”
Since the Class of ’92, there has remained a steady stream of youngsters working their way into the first team. But other than the likes of Darren Fletcher, Marcus Rashford, Jonny Evans and Paul Pogba, academy graduates who worked their way up the age groups, on the whole have amassed only a handful of first-team appearances since the turn of the century. None have gone onto have anything like the influence at United as David Beckham and co.
How Man City have eclipsed United
Sir Alex Ferguson always used to guffaw at the idea of any player wanting to leave United. A byproduct of that approach was the club holding onto some youngsters for too long.
The parents of one Manchester City youth product told The i Paper that “one of the reasons we picked City was that if it doesn’t work out here, City will likely quickly sell him on to another top European team.
“We are aware that at this level, the chances of him playing for City every week are slim. But City sell academy products regularly, add in a buy-back clause (like with James Trafford) in case they are wrong and the player in question does end up to be good enough. We have to look at the bigger picture.”
Plenty of academy graduates like Gerard Pique, Danny Welbeck and Scott McTominay have had a great career after leaving United. Yet City manage to move on youngsters every single year for £10m or more, rather than hang on to them in case they make it.
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Youngsters are also getting fewer opportunities because United are not in Europe, so are only playing once a week. In Amorim’s system, Mainoo is competing for one role against skipper Bruno Fernandes.
Mainoo has proven he’s good enough and there is still a chance for him to get some game time, with multiple absentees away at the Africa Cup of Nations. He made 37 appearances last season, mostly under Amorim.
JJ Gabriel is exciting but the 15-year-old is too young to get a look in. Others are knocking on the manager’s door, but if they are not ready, they are not ready. Traditions matter so much, as does the club’s DNA, but talent is a necessity.