Manchester United have a deep roster of top-tier young prospects in the ranks at Carrington.
Arguably the Manchester United academy is at its strongest point in years, following the successes of the U18s during 2023/24, this season has begun similarly.
There seems to be an unending conveyor of talent coming through, with Ethan Ennis, Jack Fletcher and Gabriele Biancheri being standouts this season at U21 and U18 level.
But as Adam Lawrence’s U18s start their campaign on a winning streak, one player is becoming an unsung hero, and shining in a new role for Manchester United.
Jayce Fitzgerald shines in new role for Manchester United
After missing a large chunk of last season through injury, Jayce Fitzgerald’s development will have suffered, making this campaign pivotal for the 17-year-old. Fitzgerald is viewed among the most exciting talents at the club by Erik ten Hag.
With this in mind, seeing Fitzgerald regularly impressing for the U18s this season to date is very encouraging and it is all coming as he is thrust into a brand new position which could end up very beneficial for his game in the long-term.
U18 boss Lawrence has been deploying Fitzgerald as a centre-back in the opening weeks of the season despite midfield being his natural position which he has played in recent years at least.
Fitzgerald has been impressive on the ball which has benefitted the U18s in their build-out play, while he is also benefitting from the switch himself.
Through playing as a centre-back, Fitzgerald will be developing a greater understanding of defensive principles and also his positioning and developing IQ will be improved from this move by Lawrence.
In his centre-back role, Fitzgerald will be tasked with organising the defence, anticipating attacks, and intercepting passes and all of these qualities lend themselves well to a defensive midfield role too, with the knowledge of having played as a centre-back invaluable.
He is also given the license with the U18s – along with new Ireland U19 international Jacob Devaney – to dictate play and tempo, which is something he will need in his future as a midfielder.
The experiences of learning at centre-back are reminiscent of other previous world-class defensive midfielders, which makes this an exciting move.
Erik ten Hag could have his own Sergio Busquets
While there is no promise that Fitzgerald will become a top-tier defensive midfielder, taking this step at a U18 level is something Sergio Busquets did, which bodes well for his development.
Busquets was never an ultra-physical defensive midfield, but his time as a centre-back undoubtedly gave him the mental advantage to dominate the midfield for well over a decade.
This came under Pep Guardiola who used Busquets regularly as a centre-back between 2008 and 2011 with his anticipation IQ on the field shining. This appears to be the route United are looking to take with Fitzgerald.
We are not saying Fitzgerald will become the next iteration of Busquets – but this will give him a tactical advantage over other developing defensive midfielders. Fitzgerald is different to Busquets, and resembles more of a Michael Carrick – but this is a player Ten Hag could be delighted to receive.
With the positional shift, he will have a unique and deeper perspective of football – which can only benefit him long-term.
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