United’s teenage midfielder on first team fringes scores a brace to give U21s boost in title race

Manchester United Under-21s returned from the international break with an away trip to rivals Leeds United. Adam Lawrence’s side were in search of a win which would take them level at the top of Premier League 2 with Chelsea. First half Jack Moorhouse injected energy into the match from the first minute with a driving run through midfield, but the match had a fractured opening 20 minutes as both sides struggled to make it stick in the final third. United opened the scoring in the 24th minute through Jack Fletcher, who fooled everyone with a curling cross into the box that went untouched before bouncing into the goal past Alex Cairns. Jack Fletcher looked to turn provider minutes later when he slipped the ball through to Chido Obi, who forced a good save with a low strike. It became one-way traffic as the half wore on, and United nearly had a second goal when Tyler Fletcher’s free-kick delivery met the head of Sonny Aljofree, but the defender couldn’t keep it under the crossbar. The young Red Devils doubled their lead moments before the break as Jack Fletcher found the back of the net again. Shea Lacey and Moorhouse combined to open up Leeds, with the latter feeding Jack Fletcher into the box, who clinically slotted into the bottom left corner. Second half The match flipped on its head in the second half, though, with Leeds almost capitalising on a mistake from Tyler Fletcher early on, but Harvey Vincent’s effort cannoned off the left post. Leeds were the dominant side throughout the second half and pulled a goal back in the 68th minute with a wonder strike from Louie Philpott that gave Will Murdock no chance as the ball hit off the inside of the post on its way in. The home side pushed for an equaliser, but Sonny Aljofree came up with an important block to deny a well-taken volley from Leeds’ corner. United held onto the lead with the Fletcher twins maintaining possession in the corner as the clock ran out. Lawrence’s side are now level at the top of the Premier League 2 table, but their attentions turn to the Premier League International Cup, where they will host Real Madrid B at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. Match facts United: Murdock; Jackson, Aljofree, Fredricson (C) (Armer 46), Kukonki; Moorhouse (Lusale 70), J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher; Lacey (McAllister 63), Obi (Overy 85), Musa. Unused subs: Byrne-Hughes. Booked: Aljofree, J. Fletcher. Goals: J. Fletcher 24, 44. Featured image Ben Roberts photo 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.