TA reported that Manchester United boss Ratcliffe severely criticized the club's youth training system in a recent interview, saying bluntly that "Manchester United's youth training academy has really declined." He emphasized that cultivating local talents is not only tradition, but also the key to improving the club's financial situation.
Ratcliffe pointed out that although Manchester United has a glorious history of having youth players on the roster for every game since 1937, the current situation is not optimistic. He believes that an efficient youth training system can continuously deliver talents, which will greatly help the club's finances, while also meeting the requirements for the number of local players in the lineup.
However, the reality is shocking. According to reports, Manchester United's Carrington training base, which cost 50 million pounds to renovate, has no planned space for the U21 and U18 echelons. As a result, these young players can currently only be placed in "temporary cabins" in the player parking lot. United have also fallen behind rivals such as Manchester City and Liverpool in generating revenue from the sale of academy players.
To make matters worse, the club is experiencing a loss of youth training talent. Respected academy director Nick Cox (who promoted 35 players to the first team during his tenure) has been poached by Everton, while academy recruitment director Luke Fedorenko is about to leave to join an agency. A shocking detail in the article is that Garnacho, one of the latest success stories of the youth training, has been sold to Chelsea this summer for 40 million pounds.
Despite many problems, Manchester United's young players have performed well on the court. The U21 and U18 echelons have achieved 11 wins in a total of 12 games this season, ranking first in their respective leagues.