Manchester United have decided that most of the Under 21s who featured in pre-season friendlies against Wrexham and Rosenborg will be allowed to go out on loan to continue their development, with a handful of exceptions.
Shea Lacey, Jack and Tyler Fletcher and rising star JJ Gabriel are the players United want to keep close to the first-team picture, while several others who have spent time on the fringes have been told this week that a permanent departure could follow.
Goalkeeper Radek Vitek, left back Harry Amass and midfielders Dan Gore and Toby Collyer all spent last season out on loan and have been told they are unlikely to feature for United this season either.
United are prepared to sell both Vitek and Amass, or consider another loan with an option to buy. Until a decision is made, both players remain part of the first-team squad and continue training at Carrington.
Vitek, who has played more minutes than any other academy player against Wrexham and Rosenborg, is a target for Middlesbrough and a host of other Championship clubs after a strong loan spell at Bristol City last season.
Amass played in both pre-season games and scored a goal and provided an assist against Rosenborg. He is valued at around £6 million after loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich last season.
With United still looking to sign a third central midfielder after paying a combined £85 million for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Gore and Collyer have reportedly been told their best hope of regular football next season lies with the Under 21s. Hull City retain an interest in re-signing Collyer following his loan there last season, while Gore is available again after a successful spell at Rotherham.
United have four more pre-season games left, against Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds and AC Milan, though chances for the academy players may be harder to come by as the club's World Cup contingent returns to training.
In the opening two friendlies, the young players made the most of their opportunities. Lacey scored United's opening goal against Rosenborg after being named in the starting line-up, and Jaydan Kamason produced two assists after Michael Carrick sent on a string of academy players in the second half, with the lead stretched to 5-0.
Against Wrexham, the academy side was judged to have played more fluent football than the senior team, which went 1-0 down before half-time. United could not find an equaliser.
Shea Lacey
The only outfield academy player to start against Rosenborg, Lacey justified his inclusion with a well-taken goal just after the half-hour mark. The 19-year-old from Liverpool is predominantly a right winger but played in the number 10 role in Trondheim, drifting wide to link play.
Lacey was called up by Thomas Tuchel to train with the England senior squad in October. He made his first two United appearances before being sent off on his Old Trafford debut against Brighton in the FA Cup, then returned at Brighton in the Premier League on the final day of the season. He made four first-team appearances in total last season, three of them in the Premier League.
Jack Fletcher
The older of the Fletcher twins, who joined United from Manchester City for a joint fee of around £1.25 million three years ago, Jack started the Wrexham game in the number 10 role before Carrick made wholesale changes at half-time. He is expected to stay at United this season despite the club's £85 million midfield investment, and is seen as a creative player who can also operate as a right winger or full back. The 19-year-old England youth international made three first-team appearances last season.
Tyler Fletcher
Tyler did not start against Wrexham but captained United's younger side in the second half in Helsinki, then came on as a substitute alongside his brother after an hour against Rosenborg. He made his senior international debut for Scotland against Bolivia last month and later received a late call-up to the World Cup squad following an injury to Billy Gilmour. Like Lacey, he played for United at Brighton on the final day of last season.
JJ Gabriel
The most eagerly anticipated appearance in pre-season is likely to be Gabriel's, though he does not turn 16 until October. He was included in United's squad for the Norway trip for the first time last week but was one of only three players from the 25-man party not to get on the pitch. Premier League rules prevented United from naming him last season because he was only 14 when it began. He was called up to first-team training in the autumn and scored 29 goals in 32 appearances for the Under 18s, winning the Under 18s Premier League player of the season award.
Jaydan Kamason
The England youth international was United's standout performer in the second half against Rosenborg, getting forward down the right flank to set up goals for Amass and Ethan Williams. The 19-year-old struggled with injuries last season but has made a promising start in pre-season, and is prepared to go on loan to develop further while keeping his sights on Old Trafford.
"If I need a few loans or whatever, we'll have to see, but I'm trying to get to that top level, and that's Manchester United. You have to be ambitious," he said after the game in Trondheim.
Jim Thwaites
Thwaites has been left on the bench for both pre-season games so far but is said to be particularly highly regarded among the current crop of Under 21s. The 18-year-old midfielder and dead-ball specialist has trained with the senior squad since Ruben Amorim first invited him, and was rewarded with a place on the bench at Chelsea by Carrick after impressing during a training camp in Dublin in April. A planned loan move in January was scuppered by injury.
Jacob Devaney
Devaney has come off the bench to play central defence in both pre-season games despite preferring a midfield role, and got on the scoresheet against Rosenborg with United's third goal from a corner shortly after replacing Ayden Heaven. The 19-year-old excelled as a midfielder on loan at St Mirren during a difficult season for the Scottish club and is ready to go out again if it boosts his hopes of playing for United.
"The main aim for me is to play for Manchester United week in, week out," the Republic of Ireland Under 21 international said in Trondheim. "Obviously, I want to play first-team football. So whether that is at United, learning from the best for the next year, or if I have to go on loan again and gain more valuable experience, that's what I'll do."
New arrival waits in the wings
Not every young player pushing for a first-team place at United came through the academy. There is excitement around teenage winger Tynan Thompson, who joined Old Trafford from Tottenham in a deal worth £4 million plus £4 million in add-ons.
The 18-year-old will be part of the senior group at Carrington but has not yet trained with them, and it remains too early to tell whether he will feature in pre-season as United's World Cup contingent continues to report back for training.
