Among all the youngsters loaned out by Manchester United this summer, an England Under 19 international may be in for the most dramatic of culture shocks.
Elyh Harrison has grown accustomed to the somewhat sanitised world of academy football. Where coaches appreciate his ball-playing talents and high balls into the penalty area are relatively few and far between.
Now, after thriving for Manchester United’s Under 18s and their Under 21s, the challenge facing Harrison is to prove that he can stamp his authority on a very different sort of game. In a very different sort of environment.
Chester FC signed Harrison on loan last week. And, as manager Calum McIntyre explains, going from the perfectly-coiffed grass of Premier League 2 pitches to the mud baths and nosebleeds of non-league can be quite the leveller for even the most elite of young talents.
Harrison signed for United two seasons ago from Stevenage Town, which will certainly help, as he begins his newest challenge.
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Manchester United’s Elyh Harrison starts Chester loan spell
“It’s a difficult one for goalkeepers,” McIntyre tells The Seals Podcast. “It is unrecognisable from the top level of football.”
This feels like an excellent opportunity for 18-year-old Harrison to prove that he’s got not only the raw quality but also the bravery, the presence and the maturity to stand tall up against bruising senior pros who may see his age not as an indication of his potential but as a weakness to exploit.
Harrison has certainly started well. Just one day after arriving at the sixth-tier outfit, Harrison was thrust straight into the Chester XI and responded with a clean sheet during a 3-0 victory over Peterborough Sports.
There is a reason why Man United chose Chester, meanwhile, as the ideal destination for Harrison to continue his progress.
The two North West clubs have an excellent working relationship, while manager McIntyre has a proven track record when it comes to developing promising young glovesmen.
“(Bringing in youngsters on loan) is a model I really believe in. We’ve done it successfully with Harry Tyrer and Wyll Stanway,” McIntyre explains, the latter earning himself a move to the EFL with Barrow after impressing for The Seals.
“There are a lot of talented goalkeepers out there. And when you get the opportunity to take one from one of the biggest clubs in the world, and who we have a really good relationship with, really fortunate. I know a lot of the staff there from a previous life.”
Meanwhile Chester saw Harrison impress first hand during a pre-season between the two clubs.
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To say that McIntyre is delighted to get his mitts on Harrison would be an understatement. There was an almost disbelieving tone to his voice when discussing the deal that took Man United’s 2024 Denzel Haroun Academy Player of the Year to the Deva Stadium.
“I am really, really pleased to have got it done,” McIntyre adds.
“There is a real athleticism to him, he kicks really well, has done unbelievably well for Man United for their U18s and their U21s. And I am really, really pleased we got it done, to be honest.”
Harrison started last season in Man United’s Under 18 set-up. He helped lay the foundations for a title-winning campaign alongside Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley and co before he was promoted to Travis Binnion’s Under 21 team.
Harrison’s stand-out attribute is arguably his superb distribution from the back. An attribute he shares with Andre Onana, one of the finest ball-playing glovesmen in the world.
And a talent which should do his hopes of succeeding in the senior game – especially in era where possession is frequently king – no harm at all.
Read more: Who is Man Utd’s Elyh Harrison? Age, Position, Stats and More
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