Manchester United’s academy has produced some excellent players in recent years. This may go back to the Busby Babes days, but looking at the last few seasons, there have been some big names who have graduated from Carrington’s esteemed academy.
Arguably the greatest player was Marcus Rashford, the Wythenshawe-born sensation scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for his boyhood club. Koby Mainu was recently promoted to the first team and, although life under manager Ruben Amorim is difficult at the moment, he is highly regarded by Old Trafford fans.
Another Carrington graduate who has had an outstanding performance over the past 12 months is Scott McTominay.
McTominay’s incredible past 12 months
Scotland international McTominay has shined during his season and a half with Napoli so far. He moved from Old Trafford, where he had spent his entire career, for just £25.7m. It would prove to be a bargain for the Serie A outfit.
The 29-year-old made 59 appearances for the Napoli club, showing a threat in the final third and diligence off the ball. He has found the back of the net 18 times and has provided nine assists in that time.
Twice in just a few months he helped lead the club to silver medals. McTominay was a key member of the team that won the Scudetto, clinching the title with a stunning overhead kick in the match. This week, he added to his momentum by helping Napoli win the Italian Super Cup.
He received numerous awards in the form of personal honors for his exploits in the Napoli shirt. McTominay won the Serie A Player of the Year award last season and finished 18th in the Ballon d’Or.
It’s been such a sensational year for the former United star that you might wish he still had him at his disposal. Well, they might bring a new version of the Scotsman to the academy again.
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There has been a flurry of academy involvement in Amorim’s first team in recent games. Against Aston, Tyler Fredrickson and Bendito Mantat were not used as substitutes, and Shea Lacey made his debut.
The winger wasn’t the only one to make his academy debut at Villa Park. Jack Fletcher, son of United legend Darren, was brought off the bench and played 17 minutes, becoming the 255th graduate of the esteemed Carrington school.
Aside from playing for the first team last weekend, Fletcher has impressed in the academy this season. He has played in 13 games in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing an assist in each.
25/26 Fletcher stats per game | ||
|---|---|---|
competition | game | goals and assists |
premier league 2 | 7 | 3 |
EFL Trophy | 2 | 1 |
Premier League International Cup U21 | 2 | 1 |
national league cup | 2 | 1 |
Transfermarkt statistics | ||
United are looking for a new McTominay and there may be someone in the 18-year-old midfielder who can eventually replace him.
There are certainly similarities between the pair, particularly in that they are eligible to play for Scotland. The Napoli star is obviously one of those players, and Fletcher could be one of them in the future, but for now he’s playing for England Under-19s.
But there are other similarities as well. McTominay, of course, has proven to be a real handful in the opposition box, especially in a Napoli shirt, and that’s something Fletcher also excels at.
United’s new first-team player has been described as a “goal threat” by X’s academy scoop, which focuses on the Red Devils’ academy. He has already scored 11 goals in the club’s academy and has shown he certainly has the same threat in the final third that McTominay has.
Losing McTominay was certainly a blow for United, but it must feel good for United fans to see him accomplish so much at Napoli. They will now be hoping they have something like the second coming of an academy graduate in Fletcher.
The fact that he made his debut is positive and the future looks bright for another member of the Fletcher family.
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