Mind-blowing 17-year-old forward scores 9 goals in group stage as United advance in cup

Manchester United Under-19s continued at the REWE Junior Cup on Saturday as they rounded out the group stage with another four matches. The 13-minute-long five-a-side format provided constant entertainment as United scored 36 goals in six matches. You can see a review of United’s first day at the tournament here. JSG Hoher Hagen United took on local side JSG Hoher Hagen to start the day and took an early lead through Jay McEvoy. The German side provided an immediate response, though, as their sweeper-keeper smashed one in from the halfway line. But ultimately United found their footing and ran up the scoreline for an 8-1 victory. Noah Ajayi, Albert Mills, and Louie Bradbury all scored twice, while Sam O’Brien notched one. JSG Norten United then took on JSG Norten, with Ajayi providing an early lead. The United forward ultimately finished the day scoring in every match. It was another match for United to run up the scoreline to 7-0, with Junior Brown’s clever goal from the left the pick of the bunch. Manchester United 7-0 JSG Nörten A second win on the day for United. Fortuna Düsseldorf next up with be the real test today. ⚽️⚽️Ajayi⚽️Brown⚽️Bradbury ⚽️McEvoy⚽️⚽️J. Watson#MUFC #MUAcademy #RJC2026 https://t.co/ErxmgkcUig pic.twitter.com/FPF2yN1Xov — RedYouthUnited (@RedYouthUnited) January 10, 2026 Fortuna Düsseldorf Fellow professional academy Fortuna Düsseldorf were certainly the toughest test of the day, which saw the match go back and forth. Darin Quiala-Tito caught United by surprise with a goal within seconds of the start. Brown scored the equaliser from a tight angle before McEvoy was denied from the penalty spot. Ajayi then put United ahead 2-1, but it was Cameron Byrne-Hughes who really earned the win for United with a spectacular save at the death. Manchester United 2-1 Fortuna Düsseldorf A tense match that sees United come out on top. Cameron Byrne-Hughes with some brilliant saves including in the dying seconds. Their keeper also stopped Jay McEvoy’s penalty. ⚽️Brown⚽️Ajayi#MUFC #MUAcademy #RJC2026 https://t.co/zN48CYf8MT pic.twitter.com/ZVaQf45qIx — RedYouthUnited (@RedYouthUnited) January 10, 2026 JSG Radolfshausen/Eichsfeld Going into the final match of the day, United knew it was set to be a three-way tie at the top of the group and needed to improve their goal difference. As a result, coach Colin Little opted to go with a sweeper-keeper and really apply the pressure. United won 12-1 in the end, McEvoy scoring four goals while Ajayi and Bradbury both had hat-tricks. Statistics United finished second in the group, just behind Austria Wien on goal difference. REWE Junior Cup Group Stage 2026 TeamGames PlayedPointsGoals for:againstGoal difference 1Austria Wien61540:733 2Manchester United61536:630 3Fortuna Dusseldorf61534:628 4JSG Hoher Hagen/Lindenberg6912:24-12 5VfR Dostluk Osterode6610:33-23 6JSG Nörten635:30-25 7JSG Radolfshausen/Eichsfeld605:36-31 United squad: Byrne-Hughes, Hardy, Helafu, J. Watson, McCormack, Mills, McEvoy, Brown, Ajayi, O’Brien, Bradbury REWE Junior Cup Scorers – Day 2 PlayerNumber of Goals Noah Ajayi9 Louie Bradbury7 Jay McEvoy6 Junior Brown5 Yuel Helafu2 Sam O’Brien2 Albert Mills2 Jacob Watson2 Rafe McCormack1 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 Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.