Lifeblood shows how the U18s trophies were won

For fans wanting to discover the philosophy and methods that drove the success, ‘Lifeblood: Climbing the Mountain’ provides a rare insight into the Academy.

Here are some things to look out for…

A BIG PICTURE FOCUS

If it wasn’t evident throughout the season itself — with United using a full 33 players across the campaign to allow all players the right development opportunities — it’s certainly clear throughout ‘Climbing the Mountain’ what the Academy’s philosophy is.

“It’s not mini-first teams here,” says Paul McShane, an Academy alumnus himself and current Under-15s coach.

“It’s all about the [individual] player. It’s about getting players into our first-team rather than creating mini first-teams.”

That same drive applies to the Professional Development Phase, which begins at Under-17 level and aims to prepare the boys to be ready for a full career in the game.

As Under-21s assistant coach Dave Hughes outlines: “What success looks like will be different for every individual but ultimately doing right for everybody and every individual within the programme.”

In the latest Lifeblood film, you’ll see evidence of that philosophy, whether it’s at the younger age groups in the form of fun and games or in the older levels with meetings between coaches and athletic development staff deciding what’s best for an individual in training or a game. Or in the mid-season trip to France, where a select group of 16-year-olds are taken along with one eye to next season’s Under-18s team.

OVERSEAS TRIPS

For nearly as long as United have been committed to youth development — since 1932 — the Academy has sought overseas experiences to benefit the youngsters’ learning as players and people. The first of these came with the famous Blue Stars competition in the 1950s.

It’s no different today. The 2023/24 season began with SuperCupNI in Northern Ireland. The Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament in Croatia followed soon after and then, between their opening two league fixtures, Adam Lawrence’s side competed at the Otten Cup in the Netherlands.

‘Lifeblood: Climbing the Mountain’ follows the PDP squad on a mid-season training camp in the south of France. United played two fixtures while there, against AS Monaco and OGC Nice.

“It’s a fantastic trip for us to come to the south of France to play Monaco and Nice, be able to train at both their training grounds, which have been fantastic,” U21s lead coach Travis Binnion says in the film.

“It’s more of a pre-season feel to it in terms of playing two games in three days and managing the players’ loads.”

Steve Higham, Academy Operations Manager, explains further:

“It’s been a really tough trip for the boys, a real test in the opposition and the turnaround between games. We take those lessons back now to Manchester for the rest of the season, knowing there’s more high-level opposition to face.”

AMBITION

United showed the benefit of the France trip by defeating Liverpool 9-1 upon their return. Within a few weeks, they’d been crowned northern Premier League champions, sealing the title with a win at Wolves.

Lifeblood shows the moment the squad returned to Carrington as winners, to be welcomed by staff, including first-team manager Erik ten Hag, for a celebratory meal in the canteen. Viewers will see speeches from Nick Cox, Director of Academy, and team captain Finley McAllister.

“We’ve got the first part of the job done,” the lifelong United fan and midfielder says.

“We’ve got two big finals to play in and we are more than capable of winning both of them and I think we believe that we can. I look forward to it.”

Cox’s remarks are similar: “Enjoy it tonight, but next Tuesday you’ve got to go and do it all again.”

HIGH STANDARDS

And those high standards are clear throughout.

“I think we're always trying to give them a pat on the back,” explains Dave Hughes, Under-21s assistant.

“And then at the end of that pat on the back saying, ‘but we've still got to keep trying to get better’.”

Even after the Under-18s have won their third trophy in as many weeks, coach Adam Lawrence has the future and those standards in mind.

“This is a season you’ll remember for the rest of your lives,” he says in the post-match huddle.

“[But] we don’t want this to be the pinnacle of your career.”

There is so much more to see in ‘Lifeblood: Climbing the Mountain’, providing an unprecedented insight into the philosophy, methods and language used by United’s Academy coaches and staff. Viewers will hear from the coaches on the touchline during games, hear their interactions with players during training, see what happens in the pre-match team briefings and how the players celebrate their trophy success.

‘Lifeblood: Climbing the Mountain’ is available to watch for MUTV subscribers from 19:00 on Friday 18 October. Subscribe now to get access.