Paul Heckingbottom reveals Manchester United insight he is using at Sheffield United | OneFootball

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Football League World

·21 May 2022

Paul Heckingbottom reveals Manchester United insight he is using at Sheffield United

Article image:Paul Heckingbottom reveals Manchester United insight he is using at Sheffield United

Taking the step up from academy football to the first team is something that Paul Heckingbottom knows well, having signed for Manchester United at 14-years-old before leaving two years later for Sunderland, where he started taking steps into senior football.

Sheffield United’s Oliver Norwood is another who started his career with Manchester United despite not getting any first team playing time with the Old Trafford club.


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Both Heckingbottom and Norwood have gone on to have successful careers and managed the adaptation to men’s football although it’s not always that easy for everyone.

However, having worked in the academy at Manchester United before coming up to the first team, Heckingbottom knows what it’s like and he says he has brought elements of what he learnt during his short time with the Red Devils to Bramall Lane as he told Yorkshire Live: “The one thing I have taken with me is certainly the hard work aspect.

“I know with Eric Harrison and Pop Robson, for example, we didn’t half work hard.

“I was at United [Manchester] at a fantastic time when everybody wanted to beat us. If you were in the B team the opposition would put their A team against you and if you were in the A team they would put their reserves against us.

“So we had a really good upbringing like that in terms of how teams want to raise their game against you so your standards have to be even higher.

“There was nothing wrong with that survival of the fittest mentality and how tough this game is to get past people and compete. That helped me in my playing career and certainly helps me in my coaching.

“It needs to be a tough jump [from the academy to the first team], our standards should be high. We spoke about it a lot when I first came in seeing the schoolboys to 18s, the 18s to 23s and, likewise, then to the first team. It has to be a tough jump.

“There is nothing wrong with adversity, there is nothing wrong with failing that’s part of getting better.

“There are so many young players in academies now where the first bit of failure they experience is when they get in the first team, when they go under or you don’t see them and everyone asks what is a matter with them and that adds even more problems to their development.

“At some of the big clubs these boys are on big money but you never see them again. There is a duty with young coaches to give them that challenge and make sure they are prepared for those moments where it gets tough because every player experiences it, whether losing a cup final, or getting dropped or your own fans giving you stick on social media.

“You are going to face it whatever it is. It has to be part of your development to know how to manage it otherwise you won’t.”

Quiz: Can you name which club Sheffield United sold these 23 players to from the last decade?

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Article image:Paul Heckingbottom reveals Manchester United insight he is using at Sheffield United

Matthew Lowton

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The Verdict:

The fact that Heckingbottom has both come through an academy and made a career himself and also worked in the Blades’ academy means he has a great understanding of what it’s like to make that move meaning he can provide good support to the players.

He makes a fair point though that the step up needs to be a difficult one otherwise it suggests the standard of their first team isn’t as high as it should be but this doesn’t mean it’s not possible for players to come through the academy, it just ensures they work hard to make the transition smooth for them.

The fact that the boss has also been shaped by his experiences shows he has a great want to learn and develop his methods based on his own experiences which makes him an exciting manager.

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