How Many Manchester United Academy Graduates Play In The Premier League
Manchester United have one of the most prominent and successful academies in England, but as we know not all of that success is measured by how many players break through from the academy into the first team at Old Trafford. The players playing for other clubs, whether that be across Europe or in the Premier League is also a mark on the cap for the people working behind the scenes at the academy to provide a base for youngsters to be as good as they possibly can after their time at Carrington.
In light of this, I thought it would be a good idea to go through every Premier League side and see if they have any Manchester United academy graduates currently playing in their team. You’d be surprised, it’s a lot more than you might think.
United Academy Graduates: Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion: Danny Welbeck
Brighton are the first Premier League side we come to with a Carrington Academy graduate in their ranks, and of course, he’s a well-known one. Danny Welbeck joined Manchester United in 2001, making his debut in 2008, scoring against Stoke City. Welbeck made 142 appearances for the club, scoring 29 goals.
Burnley: Josh Brownhill
A surprise one that not many will be aware of, but Josh Brownhill was in Manchester United’s youth setup as a schoolboy but left the club to join Preston North End in 2012. He never made an appearance for the first team. Brownhill has had a great career away from Carrington, with over 300 appearances for Burnley, Bristol City and Preston.
Crystal Palace: Sam Johnstone, Dean Henderson
The two goalkeepers fighting out for a spot in the Palace first-team are both Carrington products. Johnston spent seven years at United before moving on to West Brom in 2018, while Henderson left permanently last year after making 29 appearances for the club at first-team level.
Everton: Dwight McNeil, Jack Harrison, Michael Keane, James Garner
You could say Everton are like mini Manchester United, with four academy graduates in their side at present who all play key roles. Sean Dyche puts huge trust in James Garner and Dwight McNeil while Keane and Harrison also play strong parts in his squad of the bench. Garner is the only one of the four to have appeared for the first team.
Fulham: Andreas Pereira
Luton Town: Tahith Chong, Teden Mengi
Two players who performed admirably against Manchester United recently at Kenilworth Road are Chong and Mengi, who left the club only recently to pursue careers elsewhere. Both were highly regarded in the academy but felt moves away would benefit their futures. That has proved to be the case, with both being huge factors in Luton potentially staying up.
Manchester United:
Of course, we have to speak about the academy products currently featuring for United’s first-team at the moment, which is as follows, Scott McTominay, Omari Forson, Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Willy Kambwala, Kobbie Mainoo, Jonny Evans. A huge array of talent with more promising players heavily tipped to burst through in the coming seasons. It has the makings of a golden era of the club, all thanks to the work behind the scenes by the academy staff.
Nottingham Forest: Anthony Elanga
A high-profile departure from the summer window who is doing extraordinary things at Nottingham Forest is Anthony Elanga. The Swedish forward was important in the last two seasons under Ten Hag, and Ralf Rangnick, but decided in the end a move to Forest benefitted him most. He has proven his class at the City Ground and faces his former side tomorrow in the FA Cup with a further point to prove.
Sheffield United: Oliver Norwood, Ben Brereton-Diaz
Oliver Norwood was at United from 2007 until 2012, making 33 appearances for the reserves at the time and more for the underage sides on his journey up through the age groups. He left permanently for Huddersfield Town in 2012 and has recently reached 200 appearances for Sheffield United. A hugely surprising name is the now famous Ben Brereton-Diaz, who spent 7 years of his youth career at the club before leaving in 2013 for Stoke City.
About The Author
