Manchester United youngsters Dermot Mee and Rhys Bennett have spent the last week training with League One side AFC Wimbledon as part of the club's new Pro Experience Programme.
The United U23's duo were effectively at the club on work experience where they got a proper taste of senior football and an insight into the daily expectations of making it in professional football.
United introduced the new programme last month when they sent two players to Sheffield Wednesday and there are further plans to send more players out throughout the rest of the season.
The club hope these priceless experiences can help the selected youngsters learn just what it takes to perform each week in professional football and also provide a platform to indicate whether or not they are ready for a loan move.
United’s newly appointed head of player development and coaching Justin Cochrane played a central role in establishing the new initiative and he thanked former club Wimbledon for taking part in the programme.
“It’s an opportunity for the young players at Manchester United to go into senior environments in the league,” he told The Dons club media. “They spend a week with teams, where I know the manager and the environment they have there, just to get a feel of what men’s football is really like.
“They get the full ‘open door’ in terms of seeing what it’s like in training, meetings, doing a warm-up for a game – all they don’t do is play in a game. It’s a great experience for these young players, who are predominantly used to playing in youth fixtures, just to feel the different levels of intensity and what’s required of them in a men’s environment."
Cochrane also hinted more players could undertake similar work experience at the League One club and he revealed provisional talks have already been held regarding possible loan deals.
He added: “I’d like to think so. I’ve spoken to Robbo (Mark Robinson) about potential players. We had some conversations about potential loans.
“I just want to have relationships with good people and Robbo is doing a fantastic thing at Wimbledon. He’s got the right environment and trying to play the right way. I was impressed last season and I’m impressed even more so coming back here. It makes for an environment where people are going to get better.”
