A key part of youth development is letting youngsters play through their mistakes, and Man Utd are doing just that by completely trusting ‘Noussair Mazraoui 2.0’ in their ranks.
After a brilliant start to the season, Darren Fletcher’s Man Utd U18s have petered out a bit, losing to Crystal Palace in the Premier League Cup final.
Man City U18s have now won the U18 Premier League as well after United’s latest loss to Newcastle.
However, development is as important as winning at this level, arguably even more important, and United are doing right by their precocious wonderkid in the ranks.
Predict who will be the next Manchester United academy graduate…
Will Michael Carrick crown number 259 before this season ends?🤔
Man Utd are handling Yuel Helafu perfectly
Yuel Helafu has had a meteoric rise at Man Utd from playing for a trialist team against the club’s U18s to becoming the club’s first-choice RB.
Helafu has been likened to Noussair Mazraoui for his positional versatility, technical excellence, and tactical knowledge.
It’s why he’s been the subject of complex roles at the academy level beyond that of a traditional full-back.
However, in United U18s’ latest loss to Newcastle, it was clear how highly United rate him because they showed complete trust in him by making a squad decision.
In the absence of Godwill Kukonki at left-back, they had the choice to play Helafu there, but he’d have to be shifted from his natural position for that to happen.
Therefore, United prioritised letting Helafu continue in his natural position, shifting James Overy from his natural RB spot to LB.
Helafu didn’t have the best game, getting caught on the ball in his own half for Newcastle’s second goal, but this is exactly the learning moment that will do him good.
He continued to play out from the back after that error, which shows United trust him completely to let him make mistakes and develop.
Helafu is already at a point where the coaches don’t shuffle his position around, which means they have identified exactly where he fits into the first team.
Helafu has caught Michael Carrick’s eye
The priority given to Helafu at the academy level lines up with his senior team prospects, because he’s already caught Michael Carrick’s eye.
Which Manchester United academy defender are you most excited by right now?
Several look like top talents…
Beyond being called up to train with the first team multiple times, Helafu was also among the few youngsters who traveled with the team to Ireland for the training camp.
With the right-back slot a straight fight between Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot, United can use a player like Helafu to free Mazraoui to play the “free safety” role with his versatility.
United will be in four competitions next season, so expect Helafu to make the step up to the U21s level and simultaneously challenge Dalot and Mazraoui for some first-team minutes.
The skills he already has are the ones that easily translate to senior football.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
