0
0
Manchester United‘s Under-21s were in action on Tuesday night at the John Smith’s Stadium, where they were beaten comfortably by Huddersfield Town in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. It was quite literally men against boys in Town’s 4-1 triumph, but what should illicit most United pride is the vocal away crowd that turned out to support their next generation.
Almost 600 fans made the short trip over from Manchester, singing loud and proud all night, enjoying friendly song exchanges with the youthful Town support to the left of the away end.
United have long packed out allocations across the country and Europe, and though the away stand wasn’t quite full on Tuesday night, those that made the journey deserve some credit.
For many, it was an opportunity to get their weekly football fix with the senior team out of action at the weekend due to the international break. For those much younger, an opportunity to know what it feels like to travel and support their team where tickets are far easier, and cheaper, to buy in comparison to senior games.
It may come as a surprise to many, but United fans travelling to support the youngsters is nothing new. They did just that earlier this season in the same competition when the Under-21s played away at Barnsley. Don’t forget, Old Trafford was filled with 67,000 fans in 2022 when the Under-18s were crowned FA Youth Cup winners after beating Nottingham Forest.
On that particular day, the United faithful saw a glimpse of their future, with two young lads called Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo both standing out on the night. Fast-forward two years and they guided the senior team to FA Cup success, both netting at Wembley in May.
The club’s Carrington academy base has long been a talent factory for the youth; the carousel has churned out stars like Marcus Rashford in recent years. And if Gary Neville didn’t mention it enough, the Class of ’92 also came through the same system.
Habeeb Ogunneye, Jayce Fitzgerald and Harry Amass, all of whom were involved against Huddersfield, have enjoyed some degree of involvement with the first team in the last 12 months.
On the final whistle, the defeated youngsters trudged over to applaud those that came out to support them. There’s no guarantee, but those who go on to enjoy a career at United will quickly learn that the away support will always do exactly what it says on the tin: support.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd: Gyokeres snubbed with Amorim told to sign ‘£120m’ alternative ‘tomorrow’ amid new ‘offer’
👉 Ferdinand questions Amorim’s first big Man Utd move as RvN is praised for not becoming ‘errand boy’
👉 Man Utd ‘offer’ record-breaking deal for ex-Spurs star as Amorim eyes exit of ‘two resounding failures’
The era of social media has given a platform to YouTubers and influencers who find it easy to hurl abuse at players and spark narratives which are backed by their thousands of followers. Garnacho faced exactly that scenario ahead of last week’s clash against PAOK in the Europa League when a fan was heard giving the Argentina international advice on what he should be doing on the pitch, all while streaming his footage.
