Manchester United have had their annual scholarship intake night at Old Trafford, with eight youngsters confirmed to have got the nod this summer.
Last summer, Manchester United’s scholarship list included Jay McEvoy and Noah Ajayi, who excelled as first-year scholars in the U18 side.
Friday night saw United hold the 2026 scholars celebration evening, with eight youngsters confirmed to have signed.
Here are all eight, including some recognisable surnames.
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The eight confirmed Manchester United scholars for 2026
United’s U18 side has been incredible for the past few seasons, and the new crop of scholars will be expected to continue challenging for trophies.
Here are the youngsters who have signed.
- Kai Rooney
- Jacey Carrick
- Gazik Ibragimov
- Edson Dejonge-Seiros
- Harlem McLaughlin
- Pharell Silvester
- Connor Laurie
- Jaume Camacho
Some huge talents on this list, but a handful stand out.
Wayne Rooney’s son Kai and Michael Carrick’s son Jacey have both signed scholarship deals, looking to follow in the footsteps of their legendary fathers, and have gone from being childhood friends to now set to enter the U18s together.
Kai Rooney was impressive last season for the U18s, too, showing he has a real instinct in the box for scoring with superb movement and finishing. While Jacey will take that step this campaign, with the advantage of his dad being the head coach.
Gazik Ibragimov is another name that could ring a bell for fans. He is the younger and bigger brother of Amir Ibragimov, who will be knocking on the first-team door this summer. Gazik is a central defender and debuted in the U18s at the end of last season.
Will Kai Rooney ever play for the Manchester United first team?
He's shown himself to be among the best at an U18 level, but can he reach that next level?
Why JJ Gabriel wasn’t in the Manchester United scholars list
A scholarship deal is a contract that tends to be signed by players who are 16, coming 17, and allows them to both continue their athletic development and pursue academic studies.
So, in the case of JJ Gabriel, he is still too young to be considered for this contract, as he turns 16 in November.
Next summer will be when United are both trying to get Gabriel to agree to the scholarship deal and also sign a professional contract in advance of his 17th birthday.
Rooney and Carrick have likely agreed professional deals already, which will be signed on their birthdays, but Gabriel could be tougher, considering the interest from Barcelona.
But that is a problem to worry about another day.
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