At a time when PSR and the pursuit of ‘pure profit’ have stuck a knife into the hopes of academy products, Manchester United‘s 89-year youth record remains something to be marvelled at.
Stretching back to 1937, United have had a graduate in every single matchday squad since then, with Kobbie Mainoo flying the flag in the present day under Michael Carrick.
At times, keeping that run going might well have felt like a token gesture under certain managers, having definitely been under threat under both Jose Mourinho and Ruben Amorim, although more often than not, Carrington has been the club’s saviour time and again.
Most valuable Man Utd graduates
Player
Value
Carreras
£52m
Greenwood
£48m
Mainoo
£43m
McTominay
£39m
Rashford
£34m
Elanga
£34m
Garnacho
£34m
Garner
£30m
As per Transfermarkt
Indeed, at a time when all eyes are on a potentially seismic summer of spending, amid interest in the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, might it it be worth the club looking for an internal midfield solution instead?
Who the next midfield breakthrough could be at Man Utd
Every post-Sir Alex Ferguson manager, Amorim aside, can be remembered for thrusting a rising star into the limelight, with Mainoo having been the major breakthrough under Erik ten Hag’s watch, alongside Alejandro Garnacho.
FA Youth Cup final
That pair were part of the club’s FA Youth Cup success in 2022, with the current U18 side looking to repeat that feat this season, having moved into the final after seeing off Crystal Palace last week.
Front and centre of that exciting crop is Chido Obi and JJ Gabriel, although in terms of midfielders, it is Jim Thwaites who is attracting attention, having subsequently secured a place in the matchday squad for the trip to Stamford Bridge a week ago.
Free-kick specialist Thwaites, still only 18, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of both Jack and Tyler Fletcher, the teenage pairing having made their own senior debuts this season, benefitting from the lack of senior midfield options.
Tyler, who represents Scotland at youth level, is typically deployed in a deeper role, while the left-footed Jack – who represents England – is more of an advanced midfielder or number ten.
Hopes are high for the pair currently on the books at Old Trafford, as they are for those out on loan too this season.
Man Utd loanee already looks “similar to Mainoo”
Among the most fruitful loans of the campaign so far has been Jacob Devaney’s January switch to St Mirren, with the 18-year-old already earning rave reviews for the Scottish Premiership side.
That said, there are perhaps greater expectations for 20-year-old, Sekou Kone, the Malian midfielder having joined INEOS-owned Lausanne in the winter window, after an injury-hit start to the campaign.
A fractured eye socket essentially hampered his progress in the early phase of 2025/26, although he has since made five appearances out in Switzerland.
It hasn’t been the season he hoped for, it must be said, although Kone showcased enough in 2024/25 for United to be excited by, scoring twice in 18 U21 games to date.
Having been signed from Guidars FC on just a £1m deal in the summer of 2024, the elegant midfielder was even tipped as being the club’s fifth-choice senior midfielder heading into this season, only to then suffer that nasty facial injury.
In the view of scout Antonio Mango, he was in line to be a “beast” under Amorim.
That praise was warranted considering what he had shown in the youth ranks, with MUTV pundit Liam Bradford notably suggesting that he is “similar to Mainoo”, due to his ability to “receive the ball in tight areas and get out of danger with a quick turn”.
A towering, all-action presence in front of the back four, Kone could well represent an in-house alternative to Tchouameni, with the Frenchman unlikely to be an easy target to poach from Real Madrid this summer.
Like the 26-year-old, Kone at his best is an elite ball-winner, as he showcased in the past at the U17 World Cup in 2023, remarkably averaging 5.9 tackles and interceptions per game, while averaging 7.6 ball recoveries.
He also won 66% of his total duels and 73% of his aerial duels, all while possessing the ability to drive his side up the pitch from deep, averaging a stellar 2.3 successful dribbles per game from those seven outings.
For context, in LaLiga this season, Tchouameni has averaged 3.3 tackles and interceptions, 4.4 ball recoveries, won 69% of his total duels and 75% of his aerial duels.
Kone has shown then that he can reach such a standard at youth level, with next season potentially his chance to show what he can do on a consistent basis in the senior ranks.
He might not be a genuine academy asset, but at a time when United are waiting for someone to follow Mainoo as the club’s next breakout star, might Kone be it?
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