Torpey: We have a responsibility to those young players

Torpey, who became our Academy lead last summer, oversees the entire youth setup and, in an exclusive club interview, described why this competition in particular is a crucial part of development.

He believes the club have a responsibility to treat the tournament with the utmost respect, while ensuring the best outcome for our young players.

"We have a responsibility to our fans," Torpey told MUTV's Mark Sullivan. "But more importantly, we have a responsibility to those young players who take part in it, because they've been dreaming about playing in this competition since they first joined the football club.

"[With] the rich history that the club have in terms of being successful in that competition, we have to go out and try and conduct ourselves in the appropriate way, in the right way, and perform to the best of our ability.

"We want to give opportunities to people, we want to give you the chance. You don't have to be the oldest team in the competition to compete."

Playing for United provides one of the biggest of stages in world football, including for developing Reds, but with it comes an intense spotlight that must be managed carefully, given the age of the players involved.

That's been a key theme for the Academy this season, and something Torpey has a keen eye on, particularly ahead of landmark games like the Youth Cup at Old Trafford and especially for those players under the age of 16.

"We can get carried away when we see our club doing well and we see league positions," Torpey said. "But it's about stepping back and realising that we work with children.

"If people are super-talented and they're ready, then we'll give them that opportunity, but also, we have to be cautious.

"We have to be the logical side of the brain sometimes on this. We know they're capable, but actually, we know what's coming down the line.

"So the process of youth is incremental: check and challenge, constant review and reflection, understanding of performance daily, of the long-term potential, and then which opportunities are required to allow that young person to flourish.

"If we get that right and it's just a constant cycle, and we keep moving and we keep reviewing that regularly, then we can put the right plans in place and make the right decisions."

For some, that right moment will be inside the Theatre of Dreams on Wednesday night against the Black Cats, in front of fans and streamed to supporters at home via MUTV.

Getting to play inside our first-team stadium is a huge motivation for our young Reds, and one Torpey understands completely.

"Old Trafford is such a special place," he said.

"These boys have been dreaming of playing on that pitch for many, many years.

"The more we can create a more realistic environment for our young players, which involves the stadium itself, pitch itself, the size of the pitch, you know, the nerves when you're driving up to the pitch, the amount of fans that will come through the doors."

Torpey believes the supporters are a key part of that development cycle.

"I want to say thank you to everyone at the club for supporting us with that, because it doesn't go unnoticed," he said.

"These young boys, what they get from stepping out at Old Trafford is unbelievable.

"Please don't underestimate what that does in terms of support, incentive, giving so much more to our players.

"The support for youth and our fanbase really understanding our youth players, and recognising who they are and monitoring their journey along the way: this is a great opportunity to do that."

Our FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Sunderland at Old Trafford will be available to stream live on MUTV from 19:00 GMT on Wednesday. Tickets are still available.