U-18/U-21/Loans/Development Squad (2011-2018)

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WindyCOYS said:
Michael Keane is 22 (thus Will is too), this was U18s.

For me the outstanding players for us on the night were Amos, Walker-Peters and Azzaoui but plenty of others did well too.
Interesting to see loads of pressing (higher than usual), obviously that's getting passed down.

FYI:
United are 4th in the Northern Group but will go 3rd if they win their games in hand.
We're 3rd in the Southern Group, 13 points behind Chelsea but with two games in hand.

On paper this was well matched, but we blew them away for large parts of the match and could have scored more.
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Which is all well and good but at the end of the day the Youth Academy isnt there to win Youth trophies. It`s there to produce high quality players. I know Norwich have a very good youth team but yet they`re still not bringing through top class players.

In the Past United have produced top top class talent. Morrison and Pogba are extremely talented players. Welbeck is a player who played a big part for United and was also sold for a big fee. That's the levels we should be aiming for and are currently achieving at nearly even a bigger scale. Just needs to stay like this.
 
BentalebWho said:
Which is all well and good but at the end of the day the Youth Academy isnt there to win Youth trophies. It`s there to produce high quality players. I know Norwich have a very good youth team but yet they`re still not bringing through top class players.

In the Past United have produced top top class talent. Morrison and Pogba are extremely talented players. Welbeck is a player who played a big part for United and was also sold for a big fee. That's the levels we should be aiming for and are currently achieving at nearly even a bigger scale. Just needs to stay like this.
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You're preaching to the converted, mate, John McDermott told me when I interviewed him in 2009 that they were totally focussed on the individual. But winning a tournament can help provide a 'winning mentality', as they say.
 
BentalebWho said:
What even is this? You'd can't possible think that surpasses the youth players that have come from United. Even if it was 20 years ago getting Beckham, Scholes, The Nevilles and Giggs all in one year is unbelievable and they also had 1 youth player at least in their starting XI since 1937 or something. Almost 3700 days. We have a long way to go to be saying we have he best youth academy in England.

and more recently Pogba.
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What has that gotta do with anything you clown shoe? Man Utd also won the league throughout the 90s and were the best team in England, newsflash, NOT ANYMORE. Why would them producing talent 20 years ago have any relevance on them having the best academy now?
 
BentalebWho said:
Check the loans United have out. Clearly not their "best XI". Two years ago they beat us, i think, in the u21 league final as it were?

Granted we had a large amount of loans as well but Michael and Will Keane were probably higher rated than our missing players. They had also just invested in Nick Powell just like we have with Alli.

Our academy is probably not better than Southampton either. Most academy's I believe dont hold excessive amounts of weight on winning titles and cups. More about how the individual progresses. I'm sure you know this SpursLegend SpursLegend

Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly excited to see just how far we can go with our academy right now. I am 100% behind Poch and I'm one of the few who credit TS with promoting Harry in the first place and Bentaleb but it's still early days to be going around gloating about having the best academy in England. We'll turn into the Dippers.

Suso was supposed to be Gerrard incarnate. Sterling is good but he was plucked right out of QPRs academy.
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Fairly sure that was near enough their strongest U18 side last night. You're right they have a load of players out on loan, but only one of them, a Serbian goalkeeper, would have been eligible for last night.
 
Mentions Sterling was plucked from QPRs academy yet preaches on how Pogba is Man Utds despite controversially signing him from some French club.
 
Fair point re. Pogba. You can't credit Man Utd's academy for that one. Their scouts, maybe, but not their academy. He was only there for 2 1/2 years, and was already a regular fixture in France youth sides before joining United. Certainly not their own product.

Admittedly Bentaleb is similar with us. He joined us at a similar age, but he was certainly not at the level Pogba was when he joined. He had never played for any youth international sides and had just failed a trial at Birmingham City. We seem to have played a bigger part in making him who he is today than United did with Pogba.

Of course Mason, Kane and Townsend are entirely our own, which is even better!
 
Thelonious said:
Are you sure you're in a minority with crediting Sherwood with this?
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How about one of the few who openly praise Sherwood for giving him 1st team experience?

Totti said:
What has that gotta do with anything you clown shoe? Man Utd also won the league throughout the 90s and were the best team in England, newsflash, NOT ANYMORE. Why would them producing talent 20 years ago have any relevance on them having the best academy now?
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Ugh,. An academy is based on the players it produces. The players we have produced (right now) are nothing compared to the players United have produced..granted it was in the past but you can`t just discredit United because they missed a few years. United has consistently been producing Top quality talent...we have not. But hopefully in 5 years we can accurately say we have the best academy.

Also I'm not just talking in the last 20 years mate. United had an academy graduate in their starting squad for almost 3700 days. No one gets close to this and this is even more impressive considering the level United were playing at i.e winning the league as you said. They produced a player that was good enough to win the league/be in a team since 1937.

SpursLegend said:
Fair point re. Pogba. You can't credit Man Utd's academy for that one. Their scouts, maybe, but not their academy. He was only there for 2 1/2 years, and was already a regular fixture in France youth sides before joining United. Certainly not their own product.

Admittedly Bentaleb is similar with us. He joined us at a similar age, but he was certainly not at the level Pogba was when he joined. He had never played for any youth international sides and had just failed a trial at Birmingham City. We seem to have played a bigger part in making him who he is today than United did with Pogba.

Of course Mason, Kane and Townsend are entirely our own, which is even better!
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For me a good scout network is a fundamental part of any youth academy. It`s all connected when it involves signing youth players and training youth players. At what point does a player from the academy become a non academy player just because he was scouted at a slightly older age. AND Pogba left United as footballer who almost instantly became a starter for Juve and his country. You think he could of done that back in 2009? No. There is no way for us to know what United helped Pogba with in terms of football.

SpursLegend said:
Fairly sure that was near enough their strongest U18 side last night. You're right they have a load of players out on loan, but only one of them, a Serbian goalkeeper, would have been eligible for last night.
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If that's true then it's fair point and well done Spurs for winning 1 game. Doesn't mean we have a better academy. That's just delusional. If that were the case then every time a team beats another youth team they instantly have the best academy. Yeh no chance.

Totti said:
Mentions Sterling was plucked from QPRs academy yet preaches on how Pogba is Man Utds despite controversially signing him from some French club.
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What controversy was involved with Pogbas move from La Havre, a Ligue 1 side to United, arguably the biggest club in the world? The only room for problems there is paperwork and bureaucracy. End of the day the United set up scouted him and got their man in 2009.

The only reason I mentioned Sterling was simply because there haven't been that many examples from Liverpool in the last few years. I still credit their youth academy for taking him but I must say Pogba is a much much better prospect than Sterling.

I don't think I'm wrong in saying Tottenham haven't got the best Academy in England (and I think a lot of non Spurs fans will agree) but if you think so then I fully accept your opinion.
 
WindyCOYS said:
You're preaching to the converted, mate, John McDermott told me when I interviewed him in 2009 that they were totally focussed on the individual. But winning a tournament can help provide a 'winning mentality', as they say.
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Aye, I knew you'd be aware of that. Just making the point for others that seem to think this U18 match holds actual weight in the debate of who's academy is better as SpursLegend SpursLegend seemed to imply.
 
I don't think anyone is doubting Man Utd had, at one point, the best academy in the country and one of the best in the world.

The way I understood the question was to mean at this exact moment in time. Taking everything in to account - facilities, coaching staff, current crop of youngsters ready to step up, academy graduates currently playing in our first team, the ability to effectively scout the really young talent (i.e. about 13 and under), our ability to tempt these players to join us (which is a result of the previous categories) - I'd say we, at this exact moment in time, have a better academy than Man Utd, and one of the top 2/3 in the country.
 
I don't see how Man Utd supposed record of always having a youth player in the team is relevant or how that means they have the best academy. Fergie loved youth, he'd have played an academy player even if he was Luke Chadwick.

At this moment in time. Our academy is better than Man Utds and we are producing better players. I dont care if they produced good players 20 years ago. We produced Ledley King 15 years ago and he shits on them all.
 
WindyCOYS said:
I believe he's been training with us since the summer but work permit or visa issues mean he can't play. That's me reading between the lines.
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Cheers. I read that Spurs had got him a language teacher, but that it wasn't easy as he spoke a language called Hausa.

The African Iniesta!! We're gonna win the league in 2018 aren't we?
 
Sterling & Edwards in England U17 squad to play Holland today.
B9u3dwNIAAAiL85.jpg:large
 
eanN17 said:
Cheers. I read that Spurs had got him a language teacher, but that it wasn't easy as he spoke a language called Hausa.

The African Iniesta!! We're gonna win the league in 2018 aren't we?
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With him and the next Didier Drogbam, Couibaily who can stop us? :adelol:

WindyCOYS WindyCOYS what ever happened to him? Sold to Bari in the summer. What held him back at Spurs? All reports said he had talent to burn etc.
 
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