There’s a concerning trend at Manchester United that players and staff who leave the club go on to do better things and if not, are happier at a lower level of competition.
It is a far cry from the times when Man Utd used to be the epoch of the careers of many, especially in England, but at the same time, there’s also a flipside.
A staff doing well after leaving United in this case is a result of them doing good work at the club, including discovering the wonderkid given his first start at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim.
He’s now set to join Thomas Tuchel in the England setup in a move that could have some interesting implications for United talent.
Justin Cochrane joins England as coach
Justin Cochrane is regarded as one of the finest upcoming coaches in the England setup and his CV speaks of a man who’s been on the up.
Cochrane joined Man Utd in June 2021 in his capacity as head of player development and coaching when United were trying hard to bring their youth system on par with Chelsea and Man City.
He stayed at the club for one year, until June 2022 when he left for Brentford in a higher level of job profile, becoming the Head of coaching.
After three years at Brentford, being a part of a very successful setup, Cochrane has been added to Thomas Tuchel’s England setup for the senior team.
He’ll juggle both roles and had the following to say on his appointment:
“It’s an honour to be asked to work for the senior men’s national team. This is a really exciting opportunity for me and I’m extremely grateful to Brentford for allowing me to take on this role. I’m looking forward to working with the players, meeting the staff and stepping out at Wembley. Most of all, I’m looking forward to helping this very talented group achieve its goals.”
Cochrane pushed for Toby Collyer at Man Utd
Toby Collyer joined Man Utd in March 2022 after rejecting a new deal at Brighton and Hove Albian and Justin Cochrane had huge role to play.
Cochrane was working with the English national team youth ranks before joining United and he was a big admirer of Collyer.
Cochrane was a major factor in why Collyer joined United at the time and since then, has developed into an exciting prospect at Old Trafford, justifying Cochrane’s trust.
Not only was he marked as one of Ten Hag’s next youth projects, but he proved he wasn’t just a manager’s pet by earning the same adulation from Ruben Amorim.
Amorim gave him his first Man Utd start and barring injuries, he would have been among the first names on the teamsheet right now after impressing in his cameo appearances.
Who knows, maybe Collyer gets an England cap in the next few years since he’s now got a fan in Cochrane in the national setup!
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