Manchester United will release three academy stars as their contracts expire at the end of the season ahead of a comprehensive overhaul at Old Trafford this summer.
Jack Kingdon (19), Sam Murray (20) and James Nolan (19) are “set to leave” the club as their deals ran to an end and have “not be[en] offered fresh terms at United,” the Manchester Evening News reveals.
The report reveals “several first-team and academy players” will depart this summer amid a sea of changes.
Kingdon was a played a pivotal role in the Under-18 treble winning side last season and has been “excellent” on loan at Rochdale since joining the National League side in the January transfer window on loan.
The report states the 19-year-old defender was close to joining INEOS-owned FC Lausanne Sport after training with the Swiss side last year and impressing staff, before settling on Rochdale as a destination.
Murray, who operates at left-back, is described as a “consistent performer” in the Reds’ academy and has captained the U-21 team, after joining United from Huddersfield in 2017.
The 20-year-old defender also scored in the PL2 play-offs against West Ham on Monday.
Nolan is a “versatile player” who joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan in the summer window, playing 33 times for the Scottish League One side.
Rather than a case of youngsters who have ‘not made it’, the trio are expected to go on and have successful careers in British football after impressing
The standard for an academy player to breakthrough into the first-team at Old Trafford is incredibly high with starlets such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho exceptions to the rule, rather than the norm.
United’s youth-system is one of the most successful factories for talent in Britain with a host of players who graduate from Carrington going on to have impressive careers away from the bright lights of the Theatre of Dreams.
To leave the Red Devils on a free transfer as a young player is not to fail; rather, it is an opportunity to go and take the next step of their careers at clubs lower down the football pyramid, having received a first-class footballing education.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
