Manchester United’s professional development phase group enjoyed a five day training camp in Germany.
The group, which consists of the u17s to the u21s, stayed at the Adidas HQ campus in Herzegonauch, Bavaria.
The yearly trip which sees the youngsters go abroad is used a bonding experience for the players to get to know each other across age groups, particularly the new first year scholars stepping up to the professional development phase.
The players have now returned to Carrington where some of the more experienced of the group could be seen taking the step up into Ruben Amorim’s pre-season preparations.
Further Pre-Season Schedule
United’s youngsters will soon begin friendly fixtures, taking on senior opposition in Rochdale.
Further behind closed doors friendlies have been arranged with highlights including the u18s pitted against Norwich and the u21s taking on Fleetwood Town.
An u19s squad will then travel to Croatia as they return to the annual Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament in early August, a pre-season competition that United have made it to the finals of in both of the last two years.
Schoolboys
Travelling with a group of nearly 40 youngsters, the professional development phase players in Germany were joined by a select few of the most talented schoolboys.
Amongst them was 14 year old JJ Gabriel who recently extended his future at the club.
Another 14 year old pairing were alongside Gabriel as twins Douka and Bassirou Nkoto also made the trip despite all three just moving into the u15s age category.
Some of the new u16s also enjoyed the experience, including Jacey Carrick, son of United legend Michael Carrick.
Manchester United’s professional development phase (u18s & u21s) group took a trip to Manchesterplatz during their pre-season camp in Germany pic.twitter.com/L8ld6pVFYp
— RedYouthUnited (@RedYouthUnited) July 7, 2025
Visit to Manchesterplatz
On the way back from Adidas HQ, United’s academy players stopped off at Manchesterplatz to pay their respects for the Munich Air Disaster.
Academy players are also taught about the significance of the Busby Babes and the Munich Air Disaster in the u13s age group. United hosted a memorial match with Liverpool earlier this year in that age category, when both sides learned about Munich and Hillsborough Disaster.
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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.
