Manchester United U18’s vs Arsenal 18’s: More Than Just A Youth Cup Game On A Friday
Manchester United have won the FA Youth Cup more than any other club in the competition’s history, starting their hopefully lifelong affinity with the trophy back in 1953, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 9-3. The Red’s won the tournament for the first five years of its existence, scoring a total of 33 goals in five games.
After the 5-2 win against Swindon Town in 1964, the club with the biggest relationship with youth in the Premier League had to wait until 1992 to win it again. During that 28-year period, the Red’s narrowly missed out in games against Watford in 82, which ended 7-6, and their bitter rivals Manchester City in 1986, the year Sir Alex Ferguson came into the club.
That famous victory in 1992 saw the birth of one of the greatest collections of young players Manchester United and the Premier League has ever seen then and even since. Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville went from being ordinary lads in the academy to some of the biggest football stars in the world, and it all started with that famous Youth Cup victory in 1992.
United created a similar memory to that in 2022, with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, now pivotal members of the first team, playing a key role in front of 60 thousand plus at Old Trafford as United won their first Youth Cup since 2011. This year, considering the sheer brilliance of the U18’s last season, represents another chance for some of the lads in the academy to etch their names into United history, and the game itself is likely to be a feisty affair considering the way the summer and January windows that have gone by, with United signing Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven from the Gunner’s famous Hale End academy complex.
United’s love for the Youth Cup:
Development is the key at Old Trafford over everything else, but there is something gravitational about the club’s continued love story with the Youth Cup. The disappointment of last season’s exit to Swindow was washed away by a Premier League North victory as well as the Premier League outright cup win over Chelsea, but Friday’s game is a chance for the lads to dream again. Adam Lawrence has risen to the challenge since his promotion from the 16’s to the 18’s, and Friday’s game is another chance to create history with this supremely talented group of young footballer’s.
The Emirates Stadium will be lit up in anticipation for the visit of the boys from Carrington, with a huge crowd expected. Chido Obi is likely to play against his former side after having no minutes last night in the first-team’s 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, and there’s no doubt his experiences against Tottenham and Everton will stand to him on his return to the 18’s, in particular the half hour cameo against Everton where he caused issues for James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite by dropping into clever pockets to collect the ball.
Amir Ibragimov was a bright spark for the U21’s against Sutton United on Monday in their 3-0 defeat, and it’s felt if the likes of Amir, Jim Thwaites and Shea Lacey are on form, there’s little chance any team at that age group can stand a chance to stop them, such is the true quality those three, as well as the likes of Jacob Devaney, Jaydan Kamason and many more, possess all across the pitch. James Scanlon has been a man on a mission for the club this season, and his involvement could be pivotal on Friday if United are to reach the next stage, as well as the brilliant Welshman Gabriele Biancheri, who is making a name for himself at the club this year with his incredible form in front of goal.
Up until this stage, United have played three games, beating Coventry, Preston and Chelsea most recently, scoring 15 goals in three games. Chido has scored seven goals, including a hattrick against Chelsea, who are the closest in terms of catching United’s record of eleven youth cups with nine.
To stop Arsenal, United will need to be wary of 15-year-old Max Dowman, who has been in inspired form this season for the Gunner’s and is likely to play a part for the first team at some stage in the future, following in the footsteps of Miles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri in recent seasons.
Carrington, then, now, forever.
Carrington produces some of the largest amounts of footballers in the Premier League year after year, which is a credit to the work behind the scenes by the staff at the academy. This season in the Premier League, including the academy players at United, there is a Manchester United academy graduate at nine Premier League clubs.
Players like Axel Tuanzebe at Ipswich, Danny Welbeck at Brighton, Dwight McNeil, Michael Keane and James Garner at Everton, Dean Henderson at Palace and Sam Johnstone at Wolves. All these players have played for United in this competition, and it was part of their development at the club, and it doesn’t matter whether that development leads to the first team at Old Trafford of the first team elsewhere; the people internally at Carrington are there to try their best to ensure these lads make a career in football outside of those famous grounds.
It doesn’t stop just within the Premier League though. Angel Gomes at Lille played for United in the Youth Cup, as well as players like Oli Norwood at Sheffield United, Hannibal Mejbri at Burnley, Teden Mengi at Luton, Shola Shoretire at PAOK, and the list truly could go on and on for days on end.
The youth cup provides a platform for the players to experience the atmosphere and demands of playing in front of huge crowds and massive stadiums, and there’s expected to be a considerable contingent from both sides on Friday night, as United play their first game in the competition at the Emirates since 2007, with the previous being in front of a record crowd. That record stayed until 2022, when United’s 67,492 thousand fans against Nottingham Forest in the final became the largest gathering for a youth cup game ever.
As footballer’s, these are the games you grow up wanting to be a part of. The pressure from the fans will be off for the lads to go out and enjoy themselves at one of the most famous stadiums in the world, but there is that hopeful sense that United’s relationship with the Youth Cup is set to give us another story this year, starting with a win against Arsenal on Friday.
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