ManU could build its own academy stadium and "employ a raft of full-time junior coaches as part of a wide-ranging structural overhaul" of its youth system, according to James Ducker of the LONDON TIMES.
The club has "conducted a review" of its academy and scouting set-up since announcing in February that Academy Dir Brian McClair was leaving to join the Scottish FA.
From the Busby Babes in the '50s to the emergence of George Best the next decade and the success of the Class of ’92, ManU has "one of the most fabled youth production lines in football history."
Yet there "is an acceptance within Old Trafford that the key areas of coaching, education, scouting and facilities need significant overhaul." The club is expected to appoint two senior figures to run a new-look academy, "with one tasked with overseeing coaching and the other responsible for recruitment and administration." Along with Chelsea, Man City is "widely regarded to have the most burgeoning academy," with even former ManU players such as Robin van Persie, Phil Neville and Darren Fletcher sending their sons to Man City over ManU, whose U14 team was beaten 9-0 by its Man City counterparts in September (LONDON TIMES, 12/17).
