Torpey explains Man Utd youth strategy

Manchester United head of academy Stephen Torpey has explained the reasoning behind the club's development of young players.

At the start of the season, Ayden Heaven, Tyler Fredricson and Diego Leon barely played because they trained extensively with the senior squad but didn't drop down to the Under-21s for matches.

Scotland youth international Dan Armer started 16 out of the first 20 Premier League 2 games but has more recently taken over as captain of Darren Fletcher's Under-18 side.

Others, such as Jim Thwaites, Godwill Kukonki and Bendito Mantato have alternated between the different age group teams.

"Firstly, we've got a responsibility in the Youth Cup, because it's prestigious and what it means to the club," said Torpey.

"The boys have been here a long time. They are friends and want to go on a journey. We shouldn't forget that.

"But you also have to look at player plans and opportunity. What does a player need next? Are we teaching them about left-back? Left centre-half?

"In the Under-18s you have more time, so if we want to increase Dan's diagonal passing, we will play him in a run of games there so we can work on it.

"At Manchester City, Nico O'Reilly, spent two years in the under-18s. Talent-wise he could have played with the Under 21s at 15, but we had to allow him to grow because he was small. Then he became big but uncoordinated. It is easier to work through that in the Under-18s because matches are primarily Saturday to Saturday.

"If you're in the 21s, you might be on first team training, or in the first team squad for a while. You might not play because the schedules don't line up.

"You would never deprive anyone of being on the first-team bench but then you can't be over-exerted the day before.

"It's really complex. Where we meet weekly about team selections, we don't just look at one team we look at 15s, 16s, 18s, 21s so we can try and create these opportunities."