Manchester United have a long and storied history with academy prospects, but some decide to try their luck elsewhere.
From the ‘Class of 92’ to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, Manchester United have enjoyed great success in terms of bringing through young players.
The journey to the United first team is a difficult one, though, and some players choose to move on.
That is the case with Omari Forson, who decided to quit United for a move to Italian side Monza last summer.
Erik ten Hag appeared to prefer Forson to Amad, handing him seven first-team appearances last season.
United wanted to keep Forson, but the 20-year-old snubbed the offer of a new deal and headed off to Italy.
How Omari Forson has fared away from Manchester United
Forson said goodbye to United and seemingly sensed a greater chance of first-team football with a move to Monza.
The winger has yet to start a single Serie A game, though, and has managed just 152 minutes of action across eight substitute appearances.
Forson has played just four times in 2025 and is still waiting for his career to really take off in Italy.
The former Tottenham Hotspur talent certainly has the quality and potential to become a star, but it just hasn’t quite happened yet.
Monza boss Alessandro Nesta, who was sacked in December and re-appointed in February, suggested earlier this season that Forson’s defensive deficiencies were a problem.
Speaking in April, Nesta admitted that Forson has improved over the course of the season, and recent opportunities are a reward for his displays in training.
“Forson has improved, because at the beginning of the season he wasn’t playing defensively,” said Nesta, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.
“Now he’s learned and today I rewarded him for his training, but he has some characteristics that this team lacks. I liked him,” he added.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 13 |  WolvesWolves | 35 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 51 | 62 | -11 | 41 |
| 14 |  EvertonEverton | 35 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 36 | 43 | -7 | 39 |
| 15 |  Man UtdManchester United | 35 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 42 | 51 | -9 | 39 |
| 16 |  TottenhamTottenham | 35 | 11 | 5 | 19 | 63 | 57 | 6 | 38 |
| 17 |  West HamWest Ham | 35 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 40 | 59 | -19 | 37 |
Forson and Monza looking to avoid unwanted Serie A history
Monza’s 4-0 defeat to Atalanta over the weekend saw their relegation to Serie B confirmed.
This relegation has been a long time coming for Monza, who have won just two of 35 Serie A games this season.
Monza sit 12 points adrift of safety with three games to play, so Forson can now prepare for life in the second tier.
There is a real fear that Monza will now go down as the worst Serie A team in history.
Venezia hold that record right now, recording just 17 points in the 1949-50 season.
These records are based on the 20-team Serie A campaign, with Monza needing two points from three games to avoid taking Venezia’s record from them.
Monza take on Udinese, Empoli and AC Milan in the coming weeks, meaning Forson and co have something to play for as they seek to avoid an unwanted record.
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