Manchester United’s new era on the pitch under Ruben Amorim might have got off to a shaky start but Ineos are not stopping off the pitch.
After a summer of huge executive structure overhaul and promising transfer activity, the effort to have Manchester United among the “best in class” in every department continues at pace.
Youth development has been a key tenet of the Ineos philosophy and the already flourishing youth sides are about to get a shot in the arm.
Two new ‘best in class’ staff members have been added to the Manchester United youth setup, with one replacing Adam Lawrence after his promotion to the U18s, who are flying.
Man Utd to bolster youth staff ranks
The revolution that was started under Nicky Butt when United had started falling too far behind the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea has developed into a monster now.
Butt’s good work has been continued by Nick Cox as the academy director and the policy of promoting from within has paid dividends.
Adam Lawrence, the current U18s manager who has them at the top of the league with nine wins in nine games, scoring 43 and conceding four, was previously the U16s manager.
More accurately, he was the head of player development for the youth development phase (U13s to U16s). Training Ground Guru reports that United are set to appoint Tom Curtis in that role after Lawrence’s promotion.
Curtis held a similar role for the English Football Association for the last decade, which has seen somewhat of a golden generation of English players emerge at the same time.
Set to join him at the club is Simon Wiles, who will become the league U14s coach and oversee the development of the U13s.
Wiles joins from Gary Neville’s Salford City, where he was first-team coach for two-and-a-half years. He was also Salford’s caretaker manager for a short spell after the sacking of Neil Wood, another former United youth manager.
Ineos’ efforts to secure Man Utd’s future
Manchester United had already started their youth revolution before Ineos arrived but the latter’s commitment to taking it up a notch deserves credit.
A signing like Chido Obi-Martin would probably not have happened under the previous regime but the facilities and the pathway youngsters see to the first team at Carrington is unparalleled across England right now.
Ruben Amorim also believes in youth so any incoming staff as well as players know that their work will be valued and most importantly, will bear tangible results in the future.
The addition of Wiles and Curtis is the sort that flies under the radar but Lawrence also joined the club as a youth manager for the U13s and he’s now a top name in the youth circuit courtesy of the U18s’ remarkable exploits.
United will hope the same happens with the new duo which will directly mean that their youth teams are flourishing.
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