Wonderkids Gabriel and Rooney on the scoresheet in rampant goal fest as United u18s advance in cup

Manchester United Under-18s hosted Birmingham City on Wednesday in a lunchtime kick-off for their final group stage match in the Premier League Cup. The match had originally been scheduled for November but was postponed due to illness in the Birmingham camp. Already topping the group with two wins from two, Manchester United Under-18s head coach Darren Fletcher used a younger squad, with Jaume Camacho making his Under-18s debut and a first appearance for United for new signing Charlie Hardy. Hardy’s move to Manchester United was recently ratified by the Premier League after being exclusively revealed in the summer by The Peoples Person. First half Hardy was put to the test early on, denying Birmingham’s Joseph Ralph with a good save. Manchester United took the lead in the 17th minute with a remarkable goal by Jacob Watson, who scored directly from a corner. JJ Gabriel had a number of attempts saved before eventually adding his name to the scoresheet just before the break. Camacho’s shot was palmed away by Szymon Terenowicz to Gabriel for an easy finish on the rebound. Gabriel pushed for another after a mazy run, but Terenowicz made the save to keep it 2-0 at the break. Second half Birmingham looked to make a comeback in the second half with the guidance of the wind, which almost saw Nikolai Degtiarev’s delivery blow into the goal but for a fingertip save from Hardy. It was not until the final ten minutes of the match that Manchester United fully put it to bed. Rafe McCormack made it 3-0 when he got on the end of James Bailey’s free-kick delivery, hitting it off the post and into the goal. Bailey played provider again three minutes later when he delivered from a corner for Jay McEvoy to score his first Under-18s goal of the season. McEvoy then returned the favour by playing the ball centrally for Bailey to thump past the keeper with a rocket of a shot. Returning to the Under-18s after recovering from injury, Kai Rooney added the sixth in the 90th minute with perhaps the best finish of the day, firing it past Terenowicz from an extremely tight angle. Manchester United finish top of the group with three wins from three and will now move on to the knockout stages of the cup. Match facts Manchester United: Hardy, Shah, Mills, McCormack, Watson, McEvoy, Nkoto, Camacho, Bailey, Gabriel, Bradbury Subs: Byrne-Hughes, Emsden-James, Plunkett, Brown, Rooney Goals: J. Watson 17, Gabriel 43, McCormack 80, McEvoy 83, Bailey 87, Rooney 90 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.