Manchester United have confirmed their list of new academy scholars ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Twelve of last year’s u16s have signed scholarship terms and celebrated the occasion on Monday night at Old Trafford.
The event saw the young players presented with their own Manchester United suit including the famous blazer.
Academy graduate and first team player Tom Heaton gave the youngsters some words of advice saying that “theres fantastic staff at this football club, fantastic facilities, incredible opportunities, but my belief is that your career is your own.”
“Its up to you to take responsibility and ownership. Look at yourself, what youre good at, what you need to get better at, take responsibility for that, keep doing it, keep doing it, and youll give yourself the best chance of having a fantastic career.”
Some of the group have already experienced u18s football but most will be new names to supporters, so we take a closer look at the twelve players who will be stepping up to Manchester United’s u18s.
Noah Ajayi
A towering figure, Ajayi is one of the tallest in the group and could be mistaken for a centre-back from his stature but it is as a left winger that he normally plies his trade. Despite his size, Ajayi is deceptively nimble and impressed during last season’s Hong Kong trip with some tricky dribbling that earned United a penalty after he had already scored with his head earlier in the match. The 16 year old achieved a rare feat last season, making his u21s debut before appearing for the u18s when he made a six minute cameo against Reading u21s.
Neithan Barbosa
On the other end of the size spectrum, Barbosa is one of the shorter members of the group. Another winger, Barbosa was signed from Doncaster Rovers in 2022 alongside Zac Watson and Jariyah Shah who are also amongst the new scholars. A Portugal youth international, he has been called up for camps at u15s and u16s level. He scored a very well taken volley at last summer’s SuperCupNI but unfortunately, the 16 year old missed the majority of the last season with an injury that is still showing signs of damage as he wore a knee brace at the signing ceremony.
Nathaniel-Junior Brown
An electric winger, he has been at United for a few years after joining from Sheffield United.
Yuel Helafu
A right-back who is also comfortable on the left, he shone above the rest as one of the best performers at last year’s SuperCupNI. A polished dribbler, he imposes himself on the match from full-back with driving runs infield and down the line.
Eddie Ibrovic-Fletcher
Another standout talent in the group, he made his u18s debut towards the end of last season in a 3-1 win over Sunderland. A Serbian u17s international, Ibrovic-Fletcher is a bit of a throwback number 10 stylistically. Possessing the craft and guile to dribble past entire teams which has produced some outrageous goals, he also has a rocket of a right boot.
Louie Bradbury
The lone striker in the group, Bradbury was a goal machine in the u16s and has already opened his tally at u18s level with a goal against Wolves in February. A regular at underage level for Wales, his scoring exploits are just as impressive on the international stage with five goals in eight appearances for Wales u17s. A poacher in the box, he doesn’t miss many opportunities and generates a lot of power in his shots with little back lift.
Rafe McCormack
A versatile player, McCormack has often played in central midfield coming through the ranks but dropped back into centre-back for much of last season with the u16s. Very comfortable with the ball at this feet, he is a first phase player who is looks to dictate the play from the back which has seen him deployed as a sweeper keeper when United play in 5-sided tournaments in Germany. He has yet to make his u18s debut but is capped for England at u15s and u16s level.
Jay McEvoy
From a family of footballers, McEvoy’s older brother Rio spent time in the Manchester United’s academy, while his younger brother is currently in the Everton setup. A well rounded midfielder, McEvoy’s standout abilities are his calmness under pressure and excellent range of passing which sees him spray the ball around the pitch. He has represented Ireland at u16s level and is eligible for England after moving at the age of 9.
Jayden Ngwashi
A physical centre-back he already has Italy and England fighting over his international allegiance with him representing England at u17s level most recently. The most experienced of the group, he already has five appearances for the u18s and two appearances for the u21s. A modern defender, he brings quality on the ball to match his physical robustness in defending.
Jariyah Shah
Another who has already featured for the u18s, Shah’s unique background sees him eligible to represent England, Australia, Pakistan, and Vietnam on the international stage. Generally deployed in midfield, his versatility allows him to feature at full-back as well. A real jack of all trades, he performs the basics very well which makes him a dependable option in a number of positions.
Jacob Watson
An England u16s international centre-back, he has been at the club since a very young age. Calmness personified, he instils confidence at the back with his reading of the game to cut out attacks.
Zachary Watson
The only keeper in the group, he has yet to feature at u18s level since joining from Doncaster Rovers.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
