Why I’m still worried about future of Man United’s wonderkids after Ruben Amorim’s academy verdict

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Ruben Amorim issued a response to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s gloomy verdict on Manchester United’s academy, but he didn’t go as far as some supporters would have wanted.

The co-owner’s insistence that standards in the academy had “really slipped” rang the alarm bells during the international break, but his claim couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Jim Ratcliffe also appeared to believe that a main driving force behind developing youth is to make a future profit on them, which undermines the very foundation on which the club has been built.

It was only recently that Man United had the tagline “Youth. Courage. Success.” adorning the inside of their shirts, the three magic words that encapsulate the culture and ethos at Old Trafford.

The production line of superstars stretches back decades and continues to churn out talent to this day, and that is why Amorim should have been stronger when pushing back against Ratcliffe’s comments.

Ruben Amorim said Man United academy is important

Ratcliffe’s concern comes at an odd time. It was only earlier this year that Scott McTominay was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, while Alejandro Garnacho was sold to Chelsea for £40million.

Kobbie Mainoo is one of the brightest prospects to have climbed the ladder at Carrington in quite a while, and supporters are pleading for Amorim to play him more.

A quick glance at the Premier League 2 table shows United, led by the brilliant Travis Binnion, top of the pile, winning all six of their games. Darren Fletcher’s U18s, meanwhile, have lost just once all season and are level on points with leaders Manchester City.

United have a future hero in Shea Lacey, while Jack Fletcher and Jacob Devaney are among those to have also been tipped to go on to achieve success.

Thankfully, Ruben Amorim recognised the importance of the youth set-up at the club, even if many of the youngsters won’t break into the first-team picture.

“I think we can always improve,” Amorim said during his press conference on Friday. “I am not the best guy because I am here for a year and our results are not so good.

“So I’m not going to be the guy to say that the academy is not in good shape. What I know is that especially now, with Financial Fair Play, with the feeling for the club, the academy is really important.

“We need to take care of that. We also need to give the right conditions for all the people to do a better job. We are paying attention to that, we are bringing people, always in contact with Travis, trying to bring the right kids for training, make that relationship with the academy.

“We have a lot to improve, not just in the academy, but in the aspects of the club.”

However, it was what Amorim didn’t say that will raise eyebrows among the United faithful.

Ruben Amorim needed to push back on selling youth claim

He is undoubtedly a squeaky-clean, smooth-talking diplomat, and his charisma is one of the reasons why he still retains support from matchgoers – and the board.

It is, of course, completely understandable that he did not want to push back too firmly against Ratcliffe and risk publicly contrasting his own boss in the process.

But the very notion of United using their academy as a means to make a profit on players goes against everything the club stands for, and it needed to be shut down.

It was disappointing that Amorim did not choose to address this particular part of Ratcliffe’s interview, but, as always, actions will speak louder than words. He can rectify it by putting his faith in Mainoo and continuing to blood youngsters in first-team training sessions.

Finally, it looks as though United are determined to ensure their academy is the best in class, after several years of evident drift. Ratcliffe should recognise this, or risk stirring up more anger from supporters.