Manchester United u18s will take part in their biggest match of the season so far when they take to Villa Park on Monday night.
Adam Lawrence’s u18s are away to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup after dispatching Arsenal in a scintillating match at the Emirates earlier in the month.
A tough test awaits United in an Aston Villa side who looked strong in the UEFA Youth League before being eliminated by Barcelona in the round of 16.
So far in the FA Youth Cup, Villa opened with sizeable victories over Accrington Stanley and Newcastle before a closer 3-2 win over Bristol City.
Their quarter-finals tie was back to comfort though as they put Plymouth Argyle to the sword with a convincing 3-0 win at Villa Park.
Despite being only fifth in the u18s Premier League South, Villa have a very talented side with many of the players featuring regularly at u21s level.
One such starlet will be a familiar face for Adam Lawrence and the United players.
Mason Cotcher donned the red of United last season while on trial after departing Sunderland and before ultimately signing with Villa.
Cotcher featured off the bench in a 4-0 win over Leeds United as United went on to be crowned league champions.
The 18-year-old striker has been on fire for the Birmingham side this season with five goals in four matches so far in the competition.
Other talents to look out for in the claret and blue include Bradley Burrowes and Cole Brannigan, both of whom have played alongside United players at international level for England and Northern Ireland respectively.
Speaking ahead of the match Adam Lawrence said “everyone’s really excited about the game.”
“This competition obviously means a lot to the players and the club, and to get to this stage of it and be playing in a really good semi-final game against really good opposition in Aston Villa at Villa Park, there’s not much to not get excited about!”
If United can get past Aston Villa, it tees up a potential final at Old Trafford with United guaranteed to be hosts of the final if they make it.
A Manchester derby final is also on the cards with Manchester City taking on Watford in the other semi-finals.
First though, United vs Aston Villa will be streamed live on the FA’s Youtube channel and tickets are still available to watch at the ground for Monday’s 19:00 BST kickoff.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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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.
