Manchester United have appointed Darren Hughes as their new Head of Academy Football Development and Methodology.
Manchester United’s academy setup has undergone many changes and adjustments in recent years.
Nick Cox’s move to Everton was by far the biggest departure, but, to the club’s credit, United have moved on since then.
United appointed Stephen Torpey as Academy director in August to replace Cox. Now, there is another new face joining the setup, coming with an array of experience following 11 years at Man City.
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Darren Hughes becomes latest to join Man Utd after working at Man City
With United always keen to improve their academy setup, they’ve now appointed a new Head of Academy Football Development and Methodology.
Like Torpey, who arrived in 2025, Hughes joins United after working previously at City, where he held multiple roles.
Hughes’ most recent role at City was Head of Coaching, but he now crosses the city to take up a different role at Carrington.
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As reported by the Training Ground Guru, Hughes will focus on long-term player and coach development, methodology, coaching programmes, competency frameworks and alignment with EPPP.
Hughes will report to Torpey, but the pair have already worked together at both City and Liverpool.
The role was advertised in February before Hughes emerged as the outstanding candidate.
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Which players did Darren Hughes help develop at Liverpool and Man City?
Many players who have ‘made it’ at the highest level have developed under Hughes.
They include Curtis Jones, Jarrel Quansah, Oscar Bobb, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, and Nico O’Rielly.
On top of that, it is understood that Hughes helped ex-Man City star Ilkay Gundogan when he was doing his coaching badges.
This is exciting news for every prospect in United’s academy due to Hughes’ experience and track record at City.
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