Manchester United Academy Faces Changes as Young Talents Eye Exit

Manchester United’s academy is bracing for a small but significant reshuffle, with two of its more seasoned youngsters edging towards the exit – and into the sights of a direct rival.

Winger James Scanlon and full-back Habeeb Ogunneye are both in talks with Arsenal after loan spells in League Two last season, Scanlon at Swindon Town and Ogunneye at Newport County. Their senior minutes were limited, but at 19 and 20 respectively, the feeling inside the game is that both still carry plenty of upside.

The timing is striking. Michael Carrick named 15 academy players in his 25-man squad for United’s opening pre-season fixture against Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July, a clear show of faith in the club’s youth set-up. Neither Scanlon nor Ogunneye made that trip.

Ogunneye has remained around the set-up, starting for United’s Under-21s in a pre-season outing against Altrincham on 31 July. Scanlon, capped 24 times by Gibraltar and involved in United’s Premier League 2 play-off final defeat to Brighton in May, missed that game with a minor injury.

The sense around Carrington is that they may not be the only ones on the move. Other Under-21 regulars, players who have already tasted loan football away from Old Trafford, are expected to assess their options before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

For United’s academy, long hailed as a production line, this is the other side of the model: not every prospect breaks through at Old Trafford. Some do it in different colours – sometimes those of a rival.