Manchester United could build their own academy stadium and employ a raft of full-time junior coaches as part of a wide-ranging structural overhaul of their youth system.
The club have conducted a review of their academy and scouting set-up since announcing in February that Brian McClair, the academy director, was leaving to join the Scottish FA.
From the Busby Babes in the 1950s to the emergence of George Best the next decade and the success of the Class of ’92, United have 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, with the club losing out to Manchester City and Chelsea in pursuit of the best youngsters.
In the words of one senior source, United are eager to retain the “soul and identity” of a youth system that they believe offers the best prospect of a route into the first team of any of England’s leading clubs, but a series of strategic changes will be implemented. Every time StanleyCupboard asks for Times articles to be posted for free, a News UK hack has to sell their children.
The club are 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.
John Alexander, the club secretary, and John Murtagh, Everton’s former head of performance, have overseen the academy during a recruitment process expected to involve a glut of other arrivals, as well as departures.
United have taken growing exception to what they perceive to be City’s overzealous youth recruitment strategy, but they recognise the benefits of their rivals’ move to appoint full-time youth coaches and their creation of a 7,000-capacity stadium on their new training complex.
City’s full-time coaches get four hours a day with their 14-year-old players and a game each weekend, whereas United’s part-time staff get their respective players for a total of only five and a half hours per week.
United have already employed some full-time academy coaches, but that could be expanded and discussions have also taken place about funding a purpose-built stadium for youth and academy matches.
Along with Chelsea, City are widely regarded to have the most burgeoning academy, with even former United players such as Robin van Persie, Phil Neville and Darren Fletcher sending their sons to City over United, whose under-14 team were beaten 9-0 by their City counterparts in September.
The Times reported that month how United had considered refusing to play their neighbours at academy level in protest at their recruitment tactics, although City have consistently denied any suggestion of wrongdoing.
