Manchester United’s famed academy streak was threatened by an injury to Kobbie Mainoo prior to the international break—Jack Fletcher was on hand to save the day for Ruben Amorim at Tottenham Hotspur—but it appears he may be good to go when club football returns.
United recently celebrated the 88th anniversary of their run of including at least one academy graduate in every single senior matchday squad, but that streak nearly came to an end when Mainoo was ruled out of the 2–2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
As one of just two academy graduates in the current squad—the second being third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton—Mainoo’s omission from the matchday squad had Amorim at risk of becoming the first United manager since 1937 to name a team without a single academy graduate.
To solve his problem, Amorim offered a first call-up of the season to 18-year-old academy midfielder Fletcher, son of Darren, who went unused against Spurs but ensured the squad still included at least one player from the Red Devils’ youth system.
Now, United journalist Samuel Luckhurst reports there is confidence United will not find themselves in a similar position after the international break, with club officials expecting Mainoo back in action when club football returns.
Mainoo’s Exit Wish Harmed by Academy Record
While United and Amorim avoided ending the club’s famous academy streak, the validity of the run was called into question given Fletcher is not a first-team player and, while impressing at academy level, was clearly only called up to maintain the record—the fact he was signed from rivals Manchester City just two years ago also raised further questions.
Amorim has openly admitted that he will do whatever he can to avoid being the manager to end United’s historic run, and that may ultimately work against Mainoo, who is unsettled and looking to leave on loan in January in search of regular minutes.
Clubs from the Premier League and across Europe have expressed an interest in handing Mainoo an escape route—West Ham United have vowed to give the 20-year-old a significant role for the second half of the season—but United have so far proven to be reluctant to authorise his departure.
Having offloaded Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in a summer in which academy gems Harry Amass and Toby Collyer were sent out on loan, Mainoo is the only natural option for Amorim to keep the streak alive. Goalkeeper Heaton, while eligible as an academy graduate, has not been included in a squad since Senne Lammens established himself between the sticks.
Allowing Mainoo to leave would either force Amorim to limit his bench options through the inclusion of Heaton or hand out more token appearances to the current crop of academy players, neither of which is an ideal route for the Portuguese.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd’s 88-Year Academy Record Receives Welcome Lifeline.
