Manchester United Under 21 ready to compete in the revamped Reserves League

Modified Sep 10, 2012 04:10 GMT

Warren Joyce’s Manchester United Reserves completed a successful 2011/2012 season by lifting all three trophies in contention, namely Premier Reserve League North, Premier Reserve League National and Manchester Senior Cup. Such an impressive clean sweep could be interpreted as a hint that Reserves football is no longer where United’s young starlets should be. However, the new season poses fresh and exciting challenges, as Manchester United embark on the recently-created Professional League Development, a competition where United’s young guns may face unfamiliar faces at this level in the name of London-based sides Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

It is important to bear in mind that throughout the last season, five players of the team wisely coached by the Englishman Joyce made their bow for the first-team (that is to say Michael Keane, Larnell Cole, William Keane, Ezekiel Fryers and Paul Pogba), something which at the end of the day is what really matters, as we are talking about a formative team. Nevertheless and against all the odds, the latter two moved for new pastures at the end of the term by signing for Italian outfit Juventus Torino and Belgium side Standard Liege respectively, something which could end up damaging their learning process as it is hard to find a club more interested in developing youth talent than Manchester United.

Although Joyce still counts with a skillful and experienced bunch of players at this level (many of them were selected by Sir Alex Ferguson to be part of Manchester United’s summer tour in South Africa and China), he will surely be glad to give several younger players, mainly left-back Tyler Blackett and striker Tom Lawrence a chance to prove themselves on a superior level. Already senior international players such as Joshua King (who last Friday debuted for Norway in a 2-0 defeat to Iceland) and Robert Brady (called up to face Oman in a friendly due to be played on Tuesday in Dublin) are set to lead the way for the Reserves this season.

New Professional League Development Rules Summary

Under-21 Premier League or Professional League Development is devised to help bridge gap between Academy and first team and produce more and better homegrown players.
17 Premier League clubs and six Championship clubs in the Under-21 League after applying for Category One status.
After the group stages, three new groups will be created based on performance.
United must finish in the top three of National Group Two to qualify for the Elite Group.
The top three teams from the Elite Group and the winner of a play-off between the two Qualification Group victors will contest the semi-finals.
Three over-aged outfield players and one over-aged goalkeeper are allowed for matches in the Under-21 League.
At least two Under-21 matches must be at the main ground of each club and the play-offs, semi-finals and final must also be played at the main ground of the home clubs.