United youngsters hit by freak disruption after academy pre-season clash is abandoned midgame

Manchester United’s academy began their pre-season with a double-header on Friday in Germany. United’s professional development phase group, which covers the U17s to U21s, have been in Germany for the past week at Adidas HQ as they prepare for the upcoming season. The trip marks the second year in a row that United have used the Adidas HQ campus in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, as their pre-season training camp base. As part of the trip, United played two matches on Friday at the Adi Dassler Sportplatz against TSV 1860 Munich U17s and 1. FC Nürnberg U19s behind closed doors. First taste of full-time football The first match of the day was against TSV 1860 Munich U17s, and United lined up with a younger side, including many of the new 2026 scholar intake who are stepping up to full-time football for the first time. Irish youth international Jay McEvoy captained the United side to a 2-0 victory, starting the young Red Devils’ season on a positive note. Jariyah Shah scored from the penalty spot before first-year scholar Jaume Camacho doubled United’s lead. Other players who featured in the match included Camron Mpofu, Junior Brown, Manu Ziro, Sam O’Brien, and Jaice Dore. Adverse weather Later in the night, United lined up against 1. FC Nürnberg U19s in stormy conditions. With an older squad on this occasion, more familiar names from United’s U21s featured, including Finley McAllister, Jayce Fitzgerald, Albert Mills, Louis Jackson, and Diego Leon. The match started with both sides trading physical blows, but the encounter was short-lived. In the 20th minute, thunderstorms appeared, causing a temporary delay. After a 20-minute pause, the match was officially abandoned due to the weather with the score still 0-0. Further pre-season schedule The only other confirmed pre-season fixture for Adam Lawrence’s U21s is on 31 July when they take on Altrincham, but further matches can be expected in due course. United have confirmed little about the professional development phase’s pre-season, but it is known that United will return to the Otten Innovation Cup in mid-August. Meanwhile, United’s U16s are set to return to the SuperCupNI later this month before embarking on their annual trip to Hong Kong for the JC Youth Football Academy Summit in August. Feature image Matt McNulty via Getty Images 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.