United academy director Nick Cox names ‘exceptional’ quality Omari Forson possesses

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Manchester United academy director Nick Cox has been full of praise for one academy graduate in particular.

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United completed a rather routine 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium and could have been out of sight had the Red Devils taken the plethora of chances given to them.

Goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes were enough to seal qualification into the next round of the FA Cup but it was one debutant off the bench that got fans excited.

Omari Forson became the 249th academy graduate to debut for the United first team and a night that looked to be going on without much to talk about ended in a nice moment for the English midfielder.

Cox on Forson

Writing on the United website this week, academy director Nick Cox was keen to praise Forson’s journey into the first-team and labelled one aspect of his game as exceptional.

Writing as a tribute to the 19-year-old midfielder, Cox said: “On the pitch he was part of our successful FA Youth Cup-winning squad in 2022.

“Interestingly, Omari didn’t feature heavily in the cup run but showed exceptional resilience, and that’s a reminder that the journey isn’t always smooth and straightforward.

“I would like to say well done to all of the staff who have played an important role in supporting Omari to this point. You each know who you are.

“But most of all congratulations to Omari. Ultimately, while the academy offers expertise and support, it is down to the player to take ownership of their own development, often with great support from important individuals outside of the club such as parents, family and friends.

“Omari now has work to do to fight for his first competitive start.”

Forson’s breakthrough

The midfielder was selected in the travelling squad for the Champions League trip to Copenhagen but had not made his debut for the Red Devils up until that point.

Forson was given the final few minutes of the game replacing Marcus Rashford and Ten Hag seemingly sees something in the English teenager that he can work with.

He has scored seven goals in all competitions at youth level this season, so you wonder if this is just the beginning of the Englishman’s chances in the first team.