Academy Briefing: Cup tests approaching

SUTTON TEST ARRIVES

Travis Binnion’s side face Sutton United in the quarter-final of the inaugural National League Cup on Tuesday night, live on MUTV.

The young Reds have put in some stellar performances in the new competition this season, defeating Forest Green Rovers, Altrincham, Rochdale and Oldham Athletic in the group stages.

MUTV coverage begins five minutes before Tuesday’s 19:00 GMT kick-off at Sutton. Subscribe now to watch.

U21s FRUSTRATED AT CHELSEA

First-half goals from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Ato Ampah condemned our Under-21s to defeat at Chelsea in Premier League 2 on Friday night.

The young Reds created plenty of chances at Kingsmeadow and forced Blues goalkeeper Ted Curd into several good saves, but were hit twice on the break before half-time.

As for Premier League 2, Binnion’s boys have several weeks off until a home fixture against West Brom on Friday 14 March at Leigh Sports Village. Tickets are available here.

U18s BEAT BLACKBURN

Our U18s’ busy February continued with Saturday’s league trip to Blackburn Rovers, where Adam Lawrence’s team were 2-1 victors in their seventh outing of the month. United’s two goals from Victor Musa and Amir Ibragimov sandwiched Max Davies’ equaliser for the hosts.

“It was a different type of game and we were dominant in good periods on the whole,” said lead coach Lawrence post-match.

“We responded well to Blackburn’s goal and after going back ahead, we created more chances again and looked really exciting, and then the last five or 10 minutes was just about seeing out the game.

“Similarly to Tuesday’s win over Wolves, we won 2-1 and while the opponent didn't put us under loads of pressure in terms of chances, there’s been one goal in both of those games and you’ve got to manage it properly. I felt the boys did that in midweek and again today.

“With the amount of football we’ve been playing lately, two games most weeks for the players, I think they deserve some credit with how they’ve been managing themselves and navigating their way through it really.”

FA YOUTH CUP ON FRIDAY

Adam Lawrence’s side — who won three trophies last season while balancing individual development — face Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final this Friday.

Tickets are available to the 19:00 GMT kick-off at the Emirates Stadium here. Due to broadcasting restrictions, we can’t confirm MUTV coverage of the game yet, but will do as soon as possible, having shown the previous three rounds live in the UK and Ireland.

“This is an amazing opportunity,” Nick Cox, Director of Academy, explained to United Review for our beloved matchday programme’s extensive preview of the game. Order your copy here.

“We’ve had regular opportunities in recent years to play at Old Trafford and it’s of great importance for our boys to become familiar with our own ground. Practising in an arena where you’ll play games if you reach our first team is within our control and we do that regularly.

“We don’t quite as frequently get the opportunity to play in Premier League stadiums away from home. We’ve had some lovely experiences in the National League Cup and EFL Trophy, playing at first-team stadiums, and that’s great, but to play at another Premier League venue is an exciting one and a development opportunity.”

The Youth Cup is intrinsically linked to the great tale of our Academy and a significant importance is placed on these games. It is not, however, the only competition our players participate in, and, as lead coach Lawrence explained, “it can’t be the only benchmark for our players’ Academy journeys.”

Whatever happens at the Emirates Stadium on Friday will be a key development marker for both sets of players as they aim to maximise their potential in the game.

MISSED OUR FILM WITH SIR ALEX FERGUSON?

If you’ve not yet seen Lifeblood: United at Heart, now is the time to do so. The latest instalment in our popular Academy documentary series focuses on Sir Alex’s enduring legacy within our youth set-up and follows the great man on a very special day, alongside several of our young players.

You can watch right here on the United App or ManUtd.com or on YouTube. Sir Alex’s full Q&A session is also now available, here.

COMING UP

The U21s are at Sutton United for Tuesday’s National League Cup quarter-final and the U18s at Arsenal for Friday’s FA Youth Cup before league schedules resume.

Lawrence’s team host Middlesbrough at Carrington next Monday evening (18:00 GMT).

The U21s, meanwhile, were due to take on Reading on Friday, but that game has been re-arranged for Friday 11 April (19:00 BST) at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. Another PL2 match, against West Brom, has also been moved, to Friday 14 March (19:00 GMT). It was originally due to be played on Monday. Tickets are available here.

MUTV INFO AT A GLANCE

Tuesday 25 February | Sutton United v UNITED U21s | 19:00 | Live on MUTV
Friday 28 February | Arsenal v UNITED U18s | 19:00 | To be confirmed
Monday 3 March | UNITED U18s v Middlesbrough | 18:00 | Not live on MUTV