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Tuesday 15 July 2025 09:30
‘Lifeblood: Class of 2025’ is the latest instalment in the popular MUTV series, celebrating a special Old Trafford ceremony where the new group of scholars are presented with the traditional club suit.
Fans can watch a captivating speech from new Under-18s lead coach Darren Fletcher, who came through at United in the early 2000s, becoming the club’s 164th Academy graduate before winning every major trophy in a 13-year Old Trafford career.
Fletcher speaks with passion about the privilege of representing United at youth level, and the meaning behind the traditional blazer.
Fletcher’s speech to U18s Video
Fletcher’s speech to U18s
FLETCHER’S SPEECH | Our upcoming ‘Lifeblood Short: Class of 2025’ features this from our new U18s lead coach…
Current first-team goalkeeper Tom Heaton, another Academy graduate, also features in the film.
“There’s fantastic staff at this football club, fantastic facilities, incredible opportunities, but my belief is that your career is your own,” he said, in a Q&A with Nick Cox, Director of Academy.
“It’s up to you to take responsibility and ownership. Look at yourself, what you’re good at, what you need to get better at, take responsibility for that, keep doing it, keep doing it, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of having a fantastic career. This football club demands that young players get an opportunity. It’s in the history. So if you do it, you keep doing it, that’s where you should be aiming.”
Later, Tom helps present the dozen 16-year-olds with their blazers, the central point of the Scholars’ Celebration Evening, which has become an annual tradition in recent years. scholars and their families are invited into the Theatre of Dreams to acknowledge a key landmark in their young careers, and to have the opportunity to mingle with the staff who will be helping them to maximise their potential over the next two years.
In Lifeblood: Class of 2025, fans can learn a little about these new scholars, who have some key aspects in common: hard work, sacrifice, a passion for the game and a burning desire to improve and earn a career in football.
The presentation of the traditional club suit acts as the central moment of the annual ceremony.
This, clearly, is a fresh starting point from which to build. As Heaton, Fletcher and Travis Binnion — head of player development and coaching — explain clearly, there is a huge amount of work to be done, but this was a fantastic way to begin an exciting two years for these young boys.
The 12 first-year scholars are: Noah Ajayi (Forward), Neithan Barbosa (Forward), Louie Bradbury (Forward), Nathaniel-Junior Brown (Forward), Yuel Helafu (Defender), Eddie Ibrovic-Fletcher (Midfielder), Rafe McCormack (Defender), Jay McEvoy (Midfielder), Jayden Ngwashi (Defender), Jariyah Shah (Midfielder), Jacob Watson (Defender), Zachary Watson (Goalkeeper).
HOW TO WATCH LIFEBLOOD: CLASS OF 2025
Available to watch across all platforms, including YouTube, for free from 19:00 BST on Tuesday 14 July, this eight-minute short film introduces supporters to the new scholars and celebrates their achievements.
Lifeblood: United at Heart Video
Lifeblood: United at Heart
LIFEBLOOD FILM | ‘United at Heart’ is a special instalment in our Academy series, featuring Sir Alex Ferguson…
CATCH UP ON PREVIOUS LIFEBLOOD EPISODES
All seven previous Lifeblood films, including shorts, are available to watch for free for all fans, both on the United App and YouTube.
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Tuesday 15 July 2025 09:30
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