Manchester United u21s season review 2024/25 | OneFootball

As the football club season comes to a close for the first team, it also marks the end of the season for the academy too.

So, we look back on the season for Manchester United’s u21s, who despite not picking up a trophy, had many positives to look back on.

It was a busy season for the young reds led by Travis Binnion. They competed in the first edition of an exciting new competition, The National League Cup, alongside the EFL Trophy, Premier League International Cup, and the Premier League 2.

Premier League 2

The league campaign got off to a mixed start after losing to Arsenal on the opening weekend.

Wins against Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers followed before losses to rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

It wasn’t until the Christmas period when United really found their form in the league, winning five matches on the trot to propel themselves up the table into third place.

The most notable match in the run was a 5-1 battering of Southampton with Ruben Amorim watching from the sidelines at Carrington. The match saw standout performances from Jack Moorhouse and Tyler Fletcher, both of whom have been named in United’s traveling squad for the post-season friendlies in Asia.

Just as Binnion had his team playing consistently well, a large upheaval of the squad in January left the manager scrambling for changes as is often the case at u21s level.

The free flowing attacking side suddenly found themselves desperate in front of goal as key attackers Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Ennis, and Sam Mather all went out on loan to further their experience in the senior game.

Chido Obi’s involvement in the first team and an injury to Gabriele Biancheri worsened the situation as United lost the next two fixtures to Fulham and Chelsea, unable to score in either despite good performances.

A 1-1 draw with Wolves was the final match of the league’s regular season which saw United finish in fifth place.

The Premier League 2’s unique format, more akin to North American sports, saw the top 16 teams from the 24 team league move on to post season play-offs.

Finishing in fifth meant United lined up against 12th place Everton in the first round.

Binnion’s squad selection was boosted by the return of some loanees during the play-offs, including Wheatley, who returned with a brace against Everton to send United through with a 4-2 win.

In the next round, Wheatley was then joined by Mather, who was returning from Tranmere Rovers. They faced West Ham and the pair both added their names to the scoresheet in a 4-1 win to advance United to the semi-finals.

It was a big match in the semis as United met crosstown rivals Manchester City at the Joie Stadium, despite Premier League 2 rules dictating that the match should have been played at Manchester City’s main ground of the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City, who topped the regular season table, proved a tough and physical opponent. United struggled to ever really get going and fell 0-2. City then went on to defeat Southampton in the final with another 2-0 score line.

EFL Trophy

Partaking in three cup competitions, the EFL Trophy was the first one up which gave United’s youngsters a chance to pit themselves against senior opposition.

The first group match against Barnsley was perhaps the most thrilling encounter of the season for the u21s.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, it wasn’t until the 81st minute that United waged their comeback.

A goal from Ethan Ennis was added on to by Jack Fletcher who provided a brace from the bench to secure the three points in the dying minutes. His cameo included a wonder strike that sent the team celebrating in ecstasy.

Late comebacks were on the menu for United in the competition as an injury time goal from Louis Jackson sent United into penalties in the next match against Doncaster Rovers which ended 3-3.

United won on penalties to pick up the extra point and put them on five points going into the final group match.

Despite the two impressive performances, a loss to Huddersfield in the final group match saw United narrowly miss out on advancing to the knockout stages.

National League Cup

A new competition introduced this season saw another opportunity for the young Reds to test themselves against senior opposition.

Defeating Forest Green Rovers, Altrincham, Rochdale, and Oldham with a goal difference of 11 and only conceding two goals, United breezed through the group stage as one of only two clubs to remain unbeaten alongside Braintree Town.

In the quarter-finals, United met Sutton United which unfortunately coincided with the downturn period in the league in February where a number of key personnel were missing.

At just 16 years old at the time, Amir Ibragimov was left isolated in a faltering attack which wasn’t enough to break down Sutton, who ended up 3-0 winners.

Premier League International Cup

Despite performing well in all of the other competitions, United found it tough against European opposition, who were often a bit more experienced and tougher to breakdown.

Opening with 1-1 draws against both Herth Berlin and PSV Eindhoven, United fell 1-3 to both Sparta Prague and FC Nordsjaelland to finish in 7th place out of 8, only ahead of Liverpool.

Despite ending the season without a trophy, United’s u21s had a lot of positivity to take from the season.

As the academy staff often stress, the results aren’t the important factor at this age group but rather player development.

The likes of Harry Amass, Tyler Fredricson, and Chido Obi have already begun to solidify themselves in Ruben Amorim’s squad after stepping up from the u21s this season.

Summary

Premier League 2 – 5th place

Premier League 2 play-offs – Semi-finals

EFL Trophy – Group Stage

National League Cup – Quarter-finals

Premier League International Cup – Group Stage

Top scorers – Sam Mather (11), Ethan Ennis (10), Ethan Wheatley (10)

Most assists – Tyler Fletcher (4), Jack Moorhouse (4), Sam Mather (4), Dan Gore (4)

Most appearances – Habeeb Ogunneye (26), Tommy Rowe (23), Tyler Fredricson (21), Sam Mather (21)

Feature image George Wood via Getty Images

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