Academy special: Young guns who keep Manchester United firing
Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have provided ManchesterUniteds Academy staff with two new shining examples to promote the Reds youth system.
Sir Alex Ferguson has stuck true to his doctrine that home-produced players will always form the backbone of his Old Trafford squads.
From the Class of 92 and beyond to the likes of Wes Brown, Phil Neville, Darren Fletcher, John OShea and Jonny Evans, Uniteds much-envied conveyor belt has always regularly churned out first team material of the highest order.
But following the retirements of Gary Neville and Paul Scholes and the departures to Sunderland of Brown and OShea, the Academy needed some fresh new cases to illustrate the potential to wannabe new kids and their parents at the starting point of the long road to United stardom.
And Welbeck and Cleverley have broken through on cue to provide Academy director Brian McClair and his team with brand new up-to-date role models.
Both players roads to the first team have been littered with potholes to demonstrate to possible future hopefuls what can be achieved despite the obstacles.
Players dont always follow the same smooth path and both Danny and Tom are examples of the different and difficult ways to the first team goal, Brian told M.E.N. Sport.
It is great to see Danny come through to the seniors because hes been with us since he was a baby really.
He used to come down in the evenings and during the school holidays to the Cliff training ground to attend our Football in the Community programme.
Hes passed all the way through the system from that early age and beginning.
Boost
That is a great boost to all of us involved in the Academy! system at the club. It is fantastic for anyone who has been involved in his development. For the coaches to be able to say they have been a part of it is excellent. Were all very proud.
But it hasnt been easy. He had this Osgood-Schlatters disease which is a growth problem just below the knee. It held him back.
We had to wait while his muscles caught up with his frame. There were growth spurts.
You have to be patient. Now Danny Welbeck is the perfect Academy product in many ways because he is a local Manchester boy who has come all the way through the system. Manchester United demand good players and he is the ideal scenario.
Cleverley also had his traumas along the way. Having been signed from Bradford Citys youth system, United then had to stall the England Under-21 midfielders progress chart as a 16-year-old.
We didnt offer Tom a job when he was 16 because he was too small. But he was a good footballer and we recommended to him and his family that he stayed on at school and come in as often as he could to United and wed see how he developed.
Weve had players like Phil Bardsley now at Sunderland and Danny Simpson now at Newcastle who, when they 13, we put them back a year and played them in the Under-12s. It gave them breathing space to catch up physically.
Having those experiences and the examples more recently of Danny and Tom helps us in the Academy. If we have parents who are worried because their son is not developing physically as quickly as his peers or has an injury we can point to these lads and say look dont get upset, it has happened before and it can work out fine.
It is a comfort for them and boosts the lads confidence.
As I said it takes patience. That is where this club is fortunate because we have a manager who is patient. You have to give credit to Sir Alex Ferguson because when he knows we have a good player then he is prepared to hold on.
He is willing to ! give the m time in order to get to that final goal. He tends to stick with them and not make snap judgments. That is another great thing we can say to parents or boys who might be having a tough time.
If they have got the ability and are prepared to work then they wont be discarded if the progress is not taking the same path as others around them.
After the Reds youth team and reserves both Welbeck and Cleverley were then dispatched to Premier League clubs last season at Sunderland and Wigan respectively to bank much-
needed top flight experience.
Now both have returned to make an impact on Uniteds campaign.
Theyve achieved what they have because they wanted it, adds McClair.
At this moment they have both done very well. But they have only done the easiest part. The difficult bit is staying for a long time. It is up to them.
How important is bringing through local talent? Have your say.
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Sir Alex Ferguson has stuck true to his doctrine that home-produced players will always form the backbone of his Old Trafford squads.
From the Class of 92 and beyond to the likes of Wes Brown, Phil Neville, Darren Fletcher, John OShea and Jonny Evans, Uniteds much-envied conveyor belt has always regularly churned out first team material of the highest order.
But following the retirements of Gary Neville and Paul Scholes and the departures to Sunderland of Brown and OShea, the Academy needed some fresh new cases to illustrate the potential to wannabe new kids and their parents at the starting point of the long road to United stardom.
And Welbeck and Cleverley have broken through on cue to provide Academy director Brian McClair and his team with brand new up-to-date role models.
Both players roads to the first team have been littered with potholes to demonstrate to possible future hopefuls what can be achieved despite the obstacles.
Players dont always follow the same smooth path and both Danny and Tom are examples of the different and difficult ways to the first team goal, Brian told M.E.N. Sport.
It is great to see Danny come through to the seniors because hes been with us since he was a baby really.
He used to come down in the evenings and during the school holidays to the Cliff training ground to attend our Football in the Community programme.
Hes passed all the way through the system from that early age and beginning.
Boost
That is a great boost to all of us involved in the Academy! system at the club. It is fantastic for anyone who has been involved in his development. For the coaches to be able to say they have been a part of it is excellent. Were all very proud.
But it hasnt been easy. He had this Osgood-Schlatters disease which is a growth problem just below the knee. It held him back.
We had to wait while his muscles caught up with his frame. There were growth spurts.
You have to be patient. Now Danny Welbeck is the perfect Academy product in many ways because he is a local Manchester boy who has come all the way through the system. Manchester United demand good players and he is the ideal scenario.
Cleverley also had his traumas along the way. Having been signed from Bradford Citys youth system, United then had to stall the England Under-21 midfielders progress chart as a 16-year-old.
We didnt offer Tom a job when he was 16 because he was too small. But he was a good footballer and we recommended to him and his family that he stayed on at school and come in as often as he could to United and wed see how he developed.
Weve had players like Phil Bardsley now at Sunderland and Danny Simpson now at Newcastle who, when they 13, we put them back a year and played them in the Under-12s. It gave them breathing space to catch up physically.
Having those experiences and the examples more recently of Danny and Tom helps us in the Academy. If we have parents who are worried because their son is not developing physically as quickly as his peers or has an injury we can point to these lads and say look dont get upset, it has happened before and it can work out fine.
It is a comfort for them and boosts the lads confidence.
As I said it takes patience. That is where this club is fortunate because we have a manager who is patient. You have to give credit to Sir Alex Ferguson because when he knows we have a good player then he is prepared to hold on.
He is willing to ! give the m time in order to get to that final goal. He tends to stick with them and not make snap judgments. That is another great thing we can say to parents or boys who might be having a tough time.
If they have got the ability and are prepared to work then they wont be discarded if the progress is not taking the same path as others around them.
After the Reds youth team and reserves both Welbeck and Cleverley were then dispatched to Premier League clubs last season at Sunderland and Wigan respectively to bank much-
needed top flight experience.
Now both have returned to make an impact on Uniteds campaign.
Theyve achieved what they have because they wanted it, adds McClair.
At this moment they have both done very well. But they have only done the easiest part. The difficult bit is staying for a long time. It is up to them.
How important is bringing through local talent? Have your say.
Tweet
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