Garnacho and Man United youngsters are benefitting from smart unnoticed call

Manchester United signed Tom Heaton, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo last summer. So the appointment of Justin Cochrane as head of player development and coaching in the academy was hardly going to rival those in terms of headlines.

United were expected to contend for the Premier League this season with those signings, but that challenge never really began. This season now cannot end quick enough.

But while it has been a campaign of disappointment and failure, that mediocrity has not festered down throughout United’s academy. The club’s youth setup continues to impress and their season should be celebrated.

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United’s academy has been the only constant at the club over the past decade. You can find reassurance and comfort in the academy still operating at an elite level despite those above them wrestling with failure. United’s U18s sauntered to the FA Youth Cup final this month and ‘Glory, Glory Man United’ was played at Old Trafford. You’d be forgiven for forgetting what that sounded like.

It was a summer of change for United’s academy last year. Travis Binnion replaced Neil Ryan as the U18 coach, Cochrane was brought into the fold and Neil Wood remained manager of the U23s. Those key decisions in the academy are already paying off.

You’d not find one person in the academy that prioritises results over development but those two are undeniably entwined. United place an emphasis on development and the rest sorts itself. United’s U18s’ journey to the FA Youth Cup final has been a success story but staff aren’t getting carried away. There will finally be wide smiles on faces should United eventually win the competition.

Alejandro Garnacho, 17, has been instrumental in that journey to the final, which will be against either Northampton or Chelsea – the latter is more likely. Garnacho was one of three arrivals at the club’s academy from Spain at the club two years ago and he’s already proven why United were so keen to sign him from Atletico Madrid. The forward is raw yet his potential is vast and obvious.

Garnacho has scored five goals in the FA Youth Cup run and he received a shock call-up to Argentina’s national side for the international break. The youngster was pictured with Lionel Messi last week — it’s fair to say he’s enjoyed an incredible few months.

Garnacho recently singled out Cochrane for a role in his development. “Justin [Cochrane] and Darren Fletcher are two members of the club who are always very attentive to me, supporting me in all kinds of decisions,” the youngster said.

Charlie McNeill, Daniel Gore and Kobbie Mainoo also all caught the eye during United’s dominant semi-final win over Wolves. Gore was reminiscent of James Garner — who is now close to United’s first team amid a successful loan spell — and Mainoo was everywhere in the centre of the pitch.

Alvaro Fernandez and Marc Juarado were the two players that had arrived at United from Spain just before Garnacho. It’s a testament to the club’s academy recruitment policy that all three of those players now play prominent roles throughout the youth levels.

Fernandez, 19, is a key player for United’s U23s while Jurado, who turns 18 in two weeks, plays for Neil Wood’s side and U18 level — both players are fullbacks. Each player has perfectly settled into life in Manchester, receiving support from the club in the pandemic.

The recent signing of Toby Collyer from Brighton also seems like yet another shrewd move from the club’s academy. He’s captained England at age group level.

Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal were the latest players to make their full debuts from the academy. Both players are excelling in Wood’s relatively youthful U23 side and their performances were rewarded by Ralf Rangnick with cameos against Young Boys in the Champions League.

United’s U23s have already beaten their points total from last season in the Premier League 2 with two games left to play. When Wood was asked by the MEN about reaching that potential milestone last month, he wasn’t aware of it, which was perhaps unsurprising. Wood continues to prioritise development and his steady persona is an asset in academy football.

It has been a miserable season at United but you don’t need to look far to find some hope much-needed hope.

There have been plenty of small success stories in the academy this season and the campaign is far from over.

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