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“We’re so back”, “I don’t recognise my club”, and “It’s over for everyone else” were just a few of the measured and considered reactions of Manchester United supporters in the wake of Leny Yoro’s signing announcement in July 2024. While rival fans balked at the fees paid for an 18-year-old with fewer than sixty senior appearances under his belt, his announcement was arguably one of the most encouraging and exciting moments United devotees have been able to experience off the pitch in over a decade.
Aside from the return of Cristiano Ronaldo and the brief jubilation that caused, United’s antics both on and off the grass have been questionable at best since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. Highs have included a Europa League win under the stewardship of José Mourinho, FA Cup wins under former Dutch manager, Louis van Gaal, and the incumbent Erik ten Hag, but serious challenges at the sharp end of the Premier League and deep runs in Europe’s elite competition have been non-existent. The lows and frustrations, however, have been far more frequent. It seems almost implausible for a club of Manchester United’s stature to have had such a baron spell directly after arguably their most successful and dominant period in the 1990s and 2000s.
But, thanks to the Glazer family (and other factors), here we are.
There is however, finally a sense of optimism in the air around Carrington. The arrival of the INEOS group lead by Sir Jim Ratcliffe has awoken a giant that was not only sleeping, but falling into a coma. Water bellowing from the crumbling roof of the once-great Old Trafford has been a perfect illustration of the sorry state the club has fallen in to, and just how much time, money, and dedication it may take to restore it to the top table of English and European football is hardly insignificant. But there are, at long last, some encouraging signs. United’s new footballing structure may be run-in-the-mill for other clubs, but after almost two decades of all footballing decisions being made by Joel Glazer, it is a welcome relief. Headed by new CEO, Omar Berrada, poached from neighbours Manchester City, and supported by other best-in-class appointments such as Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, and Christopher Vivell, who have come in as Sporting Director, Technical Director, and interim Director of Recruitment respectively, United finally have a support structure above their manager which is built to help the team reach elite levels in all departments.
Gone are the days of throwing inconceivable amounts of money at players like Alexis Sanchez, Ángel Di María, and Bastian Schweinsteiger just because they will sell shirts. Forget being content with Champions League qualification too, this new leadership group want to win it. Improvements are being made in every department at Manchester United, from the first team coaching staff, to the media team. A tangible plan has been laid out by Berrada, Ashworth, & Wilcox, and the results of that are already baring fruit: build the team around promising young players who can develop with the team to reach the top. The signings of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro prove just this. Both young, physical, talented, and bursting with potential. The signing of Yoro in particular is one of significance to United. It has been an awfully long time since Manchester United have managed to persuade a highly sought after young player to join their project for solely footballing reasons. Jason Wilcox held personal conversations with Yoro and his entourage to convince the player that Old Trafford is where his immediate future should lie. Conversations centred around the footballing project, the game model, Yoro's role within the squad, and playing time. Can you imagine Ed Woodward having those talks with a youngster? Woodward was a man at United purely for financial reasons, and couldn't fathom any other reason why someone would want to join the club. That was his, and Joel Glazer's sell - money. It's one of the reasons the club is in the position it is today. But with the persuasion of Wilcox, and the ability to pry Yoro from Real Madrid's grasp, the tables look to be turning. The Zirkzee and Yoro signings will be exciting additions to an already prosperous young squad, with the likes of Amad and Rasmus Højlund looking to build on the promising signs they both showed towards the end of last season. While bringing in young talent from elsewhere is an encouraging sign, nothing gives fans that feeling of connection to their club quite like seeing one of their own flourish.
The Academy has always been the shining light for Manchester United, and that remains the case today. From the likes of Duncan Edwards, Sir Bobby Charlton, and George Best, to the class of ’92, and on to the current crop of talent including Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Alejandro Garnacho, United have had an academy graduate in every single first-team match-day squad since October 1937. That’s 4,260 consecutive games of football. ‘Youth. Courage. Success.’ has been the mantra for an age and that motto still rings around Carrington today as it did at The Cliff. In times of turmoil and uncertainty, the Academy has been the one constant that the club has always been able to rely on. For context, United gave just under 5,000 minutes to teenagers in the 2023/24 Premier League season (4,924 to be exact), three times more than the rest of the top 6 combined. These numbers only go to reinforce the fact that the Manchester United Academy is a cut above the rest in England when it comes to producing and developing talent, while offering young players a clear and realistic pathway into the first team that their rivals can’t (looking at you, Chido…). At Manchester United, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. The meteoric rise of Stockport-born Kobbie Mainoo may have taken the wider world by surprise, but those within United were fully expecting him to take to the big stage like a duck to water. But for a serious injury sustained on the 2023 pre-season tour, Kobbie would have been a starter from the first game of the season. The talent production line doesn’t stop with Kobbie either. Many around the club are enthused about a number of current Academy players, with names such as Harry Amass, Shea Lacey, Bendito Mantato, and Amir Ibragimov expected to push for first team minutes over the coming years. The Academy looks to be thriving again under Nick Cox, and the light it gives to United’s first team isn’t about to diminish.
(This two-part deep-dive by The Athletic is well worth a read for a greater understanding of the role the Academy plays: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5428831/2024/04/22/manchester-united-academy-players/?source=twitterpcads&ad_id=40898916&redirected=1)
Ultimately, however, United and ten Hag will be judged by results on the pitch. A marked improvement from the dismal league form of last year must be made, and enhancements to the medical and sports science departments should go a long way to improve the torrid spell of injuries United suffered last term. Couple this with some new acquisitions, Zirkzee and Yoro so far, but hopefully more to come, and United could feasibly be in a much stronger position at this time next year. The INEOS group's vision isn't one of immediate success, it's for continuous growth and sustainable winning, but there will need to be pointers that the team is heading in the right direction under Erik ten Hag.
You could call it hopeful delusion - I'm sure many rival fans will - that things are changing. We won't know for sure until evidence is supplied that these are new times for United, but the trajectory under INEOS so far is surely cause for optimism, something United fans have been starved of for many years. Success isn't an accident, neither is failure, and the processes INEOS are putting in place are geared towards the former.
United’s road back to the top is going to be a long and challenging one, filled with inevitable ups and downs along the way. But for the first time since 2013, Manchester United now exudes a sense of purpose and ambition that has fans rightfully excited.
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