“Damn, it’s crazy!”: Highly-rated United talent spills beans on “unreal” moment amid his rapid rise at the club

Manchester United starlet James Overy has shared details of his time at the club which left him absolutely speechless. Overy’s rise Overy joined United in 2024 after making waves as one of the most talented prodigies in Australian youth football. He began his career with Perth Glory’s academy, where he developed as a promising right-back. English clubs, including United, started taking notice of Overy during a pre-season friendly against West Ham United’s U23 team. Originally not expecting to feature, Overy was thrust into an unfamiliar role at right-back and impressed despite facing superior opposition. Overy had a trial at West Ham but ultimately signed with United, the club he supported while growing up. Since completing his move to the Red Devils, the defender has primarily featured for the youth sides, where he has caught the eye and offered promising glimpses of his potential. The 18-year-old put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the club in July 2025. He has yet to make his senior bow but on current trajectory, it feels like only a matter of time. Overy has trained with the first team multiple times under both now-sacked boss Ruben Amorim and interim head coach Michael Carrick. He spoke to football360.com.au and opened up on his United move, signing his first professional deal and looking up to skipper Bruno Fernandes. Overy speaks Overy said, “Yeah, that was unreal, just signing that pro contract at one of the biggest clubs in the world.” “I’ve grown up supporting United, so it was unbelievable. The messages were everywhere, my family was just nearly in tears.” “I owe everything to them, I wouldn’t be signing for United, I wouldn’t be playing for them if it wasn’t for my mum, dad, brother and sister. It was one of the best feelings of my life. When you put pen to paper, it’s like ‘damn’, it’s crazy.” He said about training with the first team at Carrington, “It’s like you make one mistake and they’re all onto you. I’ve only trained a couple times under (Michael) Carrick just because of being injured. The two times I trained under Carrick have been unreal. But I enjoyed it under Amorim.” “The intensity was really high. Like I just really enjoyed it. Every single day you walk into training, you’re training with Bruno (Fernandes), you’re training with Casemiro, boys like that. The intensity is unbelievable, but the quality is the main difference.” He continued, “You don’t know if you’re going to train (with the) 21s or first team until maybe like 20 minutes before the session, so you’ve always got that buzz around. So obviously you go in, have your (breakfast) and then do your prehab and then you find out.” “If I’m training 21s I don’t mind it but obviously when you get that call up when you’re with the first team you’re like ‘alright let me get up for this session’, you’re excited.” He revealed details of a remarkable incident involving Bruno Fernandes, in which the Portuguese playmaker took the time to help him with his free-kick technique. “I think last time I was with him, I was just taking free kicks because one of our free kick takers was injured, so I was thinking, you know, if we get a free kick, I’m gonna take this. So I’m just taking free kicks and he just comes over and… (for) basically like an hour, he’s just there like teaching me techniques.” “He’s like, ‘I do this, I aim for this man, like dip it or hit it there’. I just look up to him so much.” Meanwhile, United return to action on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!