A legend in the sky blue of Manchester City, Alex Williams is well known to any English football fan in the 1980s but lesser known is his nephew, who is making a name for himself in red.

Ethan Williams has been rising through United’s ranks and impressed again just last night with a late equaliser for Manchester United’s u21s away to Fulham.

The 17 year old has started the season in hot form, scoring five already and averaging a goal or assist every 80 minutes across the u18s and u21s.

Ethan Williams last minute equaliser to make it 1-1 #MUFC #MUAcademy #PL2 #ThePeoplesPerson pic.twitter.com/4rR48LjRvK

— The Peoples Person (@_peoplesperson_) October 27, 2023

The young star’s uncle has recently published an autobiography titled You Saw Me Standing Alone.

The Manchester Evening News report that the book mentions United’s young academy prospect with Alex Williams saying in it that “Ethan is progressing well and has the potential to go all the way.”

It further adds “he’s quick, has a terrific left foot and an eye for goal. He’s destined to be a star, although it’s a shame his favourite colour is red rather than blue. I just hope Ethan is as happy during his career as I was during mine.”

It is not just a terrific left foot Ethan possesses though, as he has just as good a right foot as evidenced by his goal on Friday night against Fulham.

An extremely two footed player, Ethan Williams is amongst a rare breed of players who can often been seen delivering corners with either left or right boot like another Manchester United academy graduate in Andreas Pereira.

Since joining the club from Rochdale at 14, Williams has quickly moved his way through the ranks and has already trained with the first team under Erik ten Hag.

Often playing as an old school winger on the left, he is also capable of playing on the right and even has experience at left back which will stand him in good stead when looking to earn a chance with the first team.

He is not the only academy player with a City connection either as Jack and Tyler Fletcher, sons of Darren Fletcher, have just joined United in the summer from the cross town rivals.

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Fletcher and his twin brother Jack Fletcher moved to United from Manchester City’s academy in the summer.

It’s believed that their father Darren Fletcher, who is a former United midfielder and the club’s current technical director, was behind the move that saw the twins complete a switch from the Etihad to Old Trafford.

Tyler, who was born in Manchester, is eligible to line up for both Scotland and England.

According to The Daily Mail, it seems like the talented 16-year-old star has made the decision to represent the country his five-time Premier League-winning father played for.

Tyler made his international bow for Scotland under-16s in September 2022 but featured for the Three Lions just two months later.

Earlier in February, he played for Scotland once again and came up against his brother Jack, who was in England colours during an under-16 clash in Cyprus.

Tyler made a change again later in April and played alongside Jack as England won the Montaigu Tournament.

The Mail adds, “However, Tyler has returned to Scotland duty – for the time being at least – as he played against Belarus in an Under-17 European Championship qualifier in Turkey on Saturday. He started in midfield as Belarus won the game 3-1.”

Tyler played for the Red Devils against Derby County in the Under-18 Premier League on October 7th.

His brother also played a part against Derby as their side came from behind to defeat the opposition at Carrington.

During his playing days, Darren Fletcher won 80 caps for Scotland.

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Peter O’Rourke (footballinsider247) has revealed United will poach Clarke from Cardiff City, where the Irishman has impressed in his role as Head of the Academy.

Clarke is believed to have “agreed terms” with United and will be relocating to Old Trafford imminently.

United officials are currently making efforts to improve their youth set-up and have “targeted” the Cardiff City man to take on the responsibility of recruitment for the academy.

Clarke studied at the University of South Wales and achieved a BSc in Football Coaching and Development. He then went on to complete a masters in Advanced Performance Football Coaching at the same university.

His first official role in professional football came as intern with the Republic of Ireland F.A. before becoming a coach at Swansea.

Clarke then took on a position as a Performance Analyst with the Welsh international set-up, which then landed him a role at Cardiff City as a youth coach.

He forged a strong reputation at the Welsh club, quickly progressing through the ranks to becoming Head of Academy recruitment – a position he has held since August 2021.

Clarke’s work in this role has drawn attention from across the football league, with officials at United keen to secure his services ahead of potential rivals.

The football operation at Old Trafford is set to undergo a potentially dramatic transformation following the recent developments in the club’s takeover.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is drawing close to agreeing a minority stake co-ownership deal, granting him control over the sporting side of United. 

INEOS are reported to want to conduct a 100-day review of the club should their bid prove successful, with a number of changes at the executive level expected.

Given Clarke’s position relates primarily to the academy, his move to United is not thought to be affected by the potential shake-up expected in the not too distant future.

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A report by inews contends scouts from Old Trafford are “monitoring” Young who appears to fit the mould of modern goalkeepers.

Young is “highly-rated” and is considered as adept with the ball at his feet as with it in his hands; a prerequisite to play in Erik ten Hag‘s team.

His agility and reflexes make him a powerful shot-stopper and he appears to possess the requisite confidence top goalkeepers must have.

Though only sixteen, Young has been featuring regularly for the Sunderland U18 team. The youngster even made an impressive first-team debut during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

Manchester City and Manchester United are tracking Sunderland's 16-year-old English goalkeeper Matthew Young pic.twitter.com/6UarsnvAGM

— FootballNewsDay (@N_ewsFootball) October 13, 2023

Coaches at Sunderland believe Young has the talent to follow in the footsteps of former club goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. The goalkeeper, now plying his trade for Everton, has firmly established himself as England’s number one, with a string of impressive performances at multiple major tournaments.

An England call-up at youth level is thought to be imminent for Young, with the goalkeeper firmly on the “radar” of the FA.

This interest extends to the club level, where Manchester neighbours, City and United, are both “monitoring” Young. City, in particular, are thought to be acutely interested in the goalkeeper, with scouts “regularly watching” him this season for the U18s team.

However, Sunderland will be in no rush to see Young depart.

The Tyne and Wear club have adopted a policy which prioritises the development of young talent, with Tony Mowbray a well-respected figure in English football in this regard.

Young rejected interest from Wolves in the summer, instead choosing to sign a two-year scholarship contract at the Stadium of Light.

While Sunderland appears to be the perfect environment for Young to continue his development as a goalkeeper, it will be increasingly hard to resist the allure of England’s biggest clubs should his meteoric rise continue.

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The Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler reports that United are actively making efforts to keep Forson at Old Trafford and prevent any interested parties from possibly swooping in for him.

His current contract expires next summer, hence the Red Devils’ urgency to resolve the situation.

Forson played for the United senior team during the United States pre-season tour.

He started the game against Borussia Dortmund but was taken off within the opening 45 minutes after getting into an altercation with Karim Adeyemi that saw him receive a yellow card.

Visibly frustrated with Ten Hag’s decision to end his participation in the match, Forson had to be consoled by his manager who offered his reasons for substituting him.

He has impressed this season and is averaging a goal every 78 minutes in the UEFA Youth League.

The 19-year-old found the back of the net on two occasions against Galatasaray. Forson was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad during United’s opening game of Group A against Bayern Munich.

It’s clear Ten Hag sees potential in him, especially considering United’s struggles on the right-wing and with the manager preferring a left-footed profile.

The Dutch coach, of course, made it clear that only the best talents at the club will get opportunities under him.

This summer, he sanctioned the exits of multiple academy stars including Zidane Iqbal, Teden Mengi, Ethan Laird and Noam Emeran just to mention a few.

It’s clear that Forson has a part to play in Ten Hag’s plans further down the line. During pre-season, he found himself on the right flank – an area of the pitch United have struggled to fill this season.

Forson can also play on the left wing and midfield – such is his versatility.

He was recently named in the England elite development squad (formerly U-20s). He is in contention to play a part in matches against Romania and Portugal during the ongoing October international break.

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United have a long and rich history of bringing in youth players from the academy before cultivating them into world-class superstars.

Some of the club’s greatest stars ever are a direct product of the youth system.

Legends like Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Mark Hughes, Nobby Stiles, Duncan Edwards and Norman Whiteside, just to mention a few, are examples of players nurtured and developed by the 20-time English champions.

In the current United team, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay are widely regarded as the academy players who have been established members of the starting XI in recent years.

There have been others who have had mixed fortunes such as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, both of whom left Old Trafford last summer.

A worrying trend that has emerged is that players from the academy who break into the first team only enjoy a short period of success before eventually being cast aside.

Very few stars have managed to become lasting members of the first team for a prolonged time.

According to Alan Nixon, United are “concerned” about this pattern of events.

As per Nixon, the Red Devils have increasingly become exasperated by their inability to find talented players – a worry that was exacerbated by the U21s 8-1 loss against Bolton.

To remedy this, United are on the hunt for a new scout whose main responsibilities will entail finding youngsters between the age of 17 and 20.

There is an ongoing effort to revitalise the scouting and recruitment departments at the club, and the appointment of a scout with a keen eye is seen as a significant step in the right direction.

Ultimately, the aim is to create a pathway into Erik ten Hag’s set-up for the most talented and promising players who have shown they have what it takes to make it at the highest level.

At the moment, United boast a solid crop of young stars who are aggressively knocking on Ten Hag’s door for more prominent roles in his plans. They include Alejandro Garnacho, Hannibal Mejbri, Kobbie Mainoo and Dan Gore.

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Manager Erik ten Hag rotated heavily and it paid dividends as key stars got the night off while under-performing and reserve players managed to impress.

The third-round encounter was extra special for academy graduate Dan Gore who made his first-team debut in the 61st minute of the contest when he came on to replace Sofyan Amrabat.

Dan Gore earned his United debut

He more than held his own and showed fantastic awareness with the ball at his feet including a few line-breaking runs into the heart of the Palace defence.

Gore became the third academy star to make their debut under Ten Hag with Charlie McNeill and Kobbie Mainoo doing it before him.

He was part of United’s pre-season squad and impressed in the game against Olympique Lyon where he assisted Donny van de Beek with a fantastic cut-back.

It was also the academy graduate’s birthday and the 19-year-old could not have asked for a more special birthday gift. And as the manager pointed out after the game, it was not a gift. The youngster had earned his chance.

“I think it’s a great birthday. But I’ve said it, I’m not a manager, nor have coaches, who gift players opportunities. They have to deserve it. Once they deserve it, they get the opportunity.

“But they have to prove it. I think Dan Gore did but also young players, such as Hannibal, [Facundo] Pellistri, Garnacho. They have to do it every time again,” the manager told the club’s media team.

Gore became the 247th academy graduate to make his competitive debut for the club and the midfielder was equally delighted with the achievement.

Congratulations Dan… debutant number 247 takes his first steps in to the professional game. Well done to family, friends and staff that have supported him on his journey so far ! #muacademy #mufc https://t.co/UcgjpXEi8J

— Nick Cox (@Coxy3012) September 26, 2023

He has been part of the matchday squad on a number of occasions this season and finally getting his chance was a dream come true moment but the player acknowledged the need to keep working hard.

“It tops the list of birthdays, it was truly a special moment. I don’t think words can describe that feeling, seeing the fans, it is everything you’ve dreamed of, coming true.

Special moment for Academy starlet

“It means everything [to make your debut], growing up as a United fan [along with] my whole family, it means a lot to them and they were all here supporting me.”

“You have to work hard every day in training and then, hopefully, the opportunities come your way,” the youngster told MUTV after the contest.

Head of Academy Nick Cox could not hide his pride at Gore’s debut and insisted there is more to come from the fabled United academy.

The midfielder was part of United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2021 and was named the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year last season.

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Erik ten Hag’s arrival at United last summer saw greater emphasis placed on the academy and youth stars after years of neglect under his predecessors.

Ten Hag has more than made it clear only the best young talents will get a chance under him.

This has been seen by the exits of multiple Carrington products such as Zidane Iqbal, Noam Emeran, Ethan Galbraith and Teden Mengi just to mention a few.

Players like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have broken into the first team under Ten Hag.

The Daily Mail reports that multiple coaches have been let go as the overhaul of the academy carries on.

“United have had a mini clear-out of their academy, axing a total of five coaches. United Confidential understands that Jim Skeldon, Brian Mcfarlane, Dave Bailey, Ronnie Cusick and Gavin Oliver have all gone.”

“United sources confirmed that a ‘small number’ of coaches have left the club which was part of a wider restructure to enhance the academy’s recruitment work, and it was the right time to freshen things up.”

Chris Wheeler also reveals that 19-year-old Joe Hugill has agreed to sign a new contract at United after impressing Ten Hag.

It’s understood that Hugill is set to formally sign a new three-year deal with the option of extending by an extra 12 months.

The Red Devils rebuffed multiple offers for Hugill from interested parties in the Championship.

Sunderland who sold the player to United in 2020 are expected to come in for their former star in January.

The goalscorer will continue training with the senior squad while playing for the U-21 team.

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The likes of Zidane Iqbal, Charlie Savage, Matej Kovar, Anthony Elanga, and Marc Jurado were just a few who departed permanently.

However, it is not like manager Erik ten Hag is against young players as can be seen from the breakthroughs of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

United’s youth policy paying dividends

Things have kept improving at academy-level after a few lull years and things are once again looking up as the club boasts of several highly talented starlets.

Hannibal Mejbri came on during the Brighton game and got his first senior goal for the club and even behind the scenes, the club is working on keeping the supply chain working.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweeted that highly-rated academy star Gabriele Biancheri has penned his first professional contract with Manchester United.

The Welsh wizard penned the deal on his 17th birthday and he is already showing signs of why he is so highly regarded back home.

“Very proud moment for me & my family signing my first professional contract,”the youngster penned his thoughts on Instagram following the announcement.

Gabriele Biancheri has penned his first professional contract with Manchester United #MUFC pic.twitter.com/J8k9yPZ8h2

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 18, 2023

Comparisons with Gareth Bale have already emerged and this contract is another step in the right direction for the highly-regarded starlet.

Biancheri has already been promoted to play for United’s Under-18s this season and even managed to get on the scoresheet during the 4-1 victory over Stoke City’s U18s in August.

The former Cardiff City product caught the attention of teams from all over England after he registered 17 goals and five assists in 11 games for the Cardiff U16 team in his very first season.

His displays for United’s age-group team has shown he has the pace, skill, and intelligence to play multiple roles across the frontlines, an asset highly regarded by Ten Hag.

Gabriele Biancheri signs professional contract

He was soon promoted to play for the Cardiff U21 team at the tender age of 16 and United had to fend off interest from the likes of Chelsea, and Arsenal to acquire Biancheri in January of this year.

The then-16-year-old arrived on a four-year deal and is already a Wales U17 international and he already has two goals for them.

United had announced that the Wales U17 international was part of their list of new scholarship deals ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and the club have rewarded Biancheri for his remarkable growth.

This shows the club’s supply chain is once again back to normal and his precocious talents could soon be recognised by the first-team manager if he keeps his head down and keeps up this momentum.

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However, that did not go as planned and instead, they were forced to sell academy starlets who were not in manager Erik ten Hag’s immediate plans going forward.

Stars such as Zidane Iqbal, Charlie Savage, Matej Kovar, Anthony Elanga, and Marc Jurado just to name a few were among those to leave the club permanently.

Hugill needs first-team football

Several also left on loan including promising academy striker Charlie McNeill while quite a few are champing at the bit to experience regular first-team football.

The Peoples Person had reported about Isak Hansen-Aarøen looking at a loan exit in January and now it seems yet another academy prodigy is set to follow suit.

Joe Hugill, who has definitely outgrown age-group level football, is being eyed by former club Sunderland for a January loan spell.

The 6ft 2in striker’s remarkable goalscoring exploits for Sunderland’s academy team, including him playing for their U23s at the age of 16, prompted United to go after him in the first place.

He had reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolves and Leeds before securing a move to Old Trafford.

This news comes from The Sun journalist Alan Nixon who wrote on his Patreon account and also mentioned that the move will not be straightforward due to interest from several other EFL clubs.

The report mentioned that other clubs are more in need of a target man than the team from Tyne and Wear but due to the player’s connection with Sunderland, a move there is more likely.

Sunderland and others targeting Hugill loan

There was plenty of interest in the 19-year-old during the summer as well, but with McNeill already going out, the club decided to keep Hugill for the time being.

He was on the scoresheet for United in their first pre-season game against Leeds United but is yet to make a first-team appearance.

Hugill has been prolific for the academy, scoring 46 goals for United’s various age group teams since his €330k move from the Black Cats back in 2020.

He spent time out on loan at National League club Altrincham for half a season earlier this year and a move to a Championship club could be just the step required for the prolific striker to show his mettle.

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