Manchester United: Youth Academy Needs Intervention

While many feel the need for more transfers to Old Trafford, and agree there is a certain need to freshen up the current squad, the question is, don't we have sufficient talent with the youth system?

Over the years, United have managed to maintain its youth structure and establish young players into world class superstars.

Current names that were at United from an early age include David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes.

More players like Gary and brother Phil Neville started at United's youth academy in the early 90's. John O'shea, who's been a true servant to the club alongside Darren Fletcher, are current players who where found from the youth team.

Current Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique joined the youth academy from Barcelona and spent a couple years with the club before returning to his home town in Catalonia.

More respected figures that started their illustrious careers at the United academy include Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Brian Kidd.

Charlton joined back in 1953 and went on to become one of the great names of Manchester United, while George Best was another notable United legend who played for the club throughout the 1960.

Brian Kidd played for the youth team and went on coaching at the academy is now the assistant at Manchester City, while former City coach Mark Hughes joined the academy in 1978, and went on to represent United in over 300 matches while also playing for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Southampton, and Everton before finishing his playing career at Blackburn Rovers.

Many academy players who failed to make the United first team currently play in the Premier League for opposition clubs, including well-known names like Fraizer Campbell (Sunderland), Kieran Richardson (Sunderland), Jonathan Spector (West Ham) and Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi now plays his football in Spain for Villarreal.

Currently United have great talent within the system but the problem seems to be establishing them as potential stars who will be remembered for many years to come.

Recently we've seen great potential in Fredrico Macheda, Danny Wellbeck, Darren Gibson, Johnny Evans, Cory Evans, and Joshua King. But unlike Barcelona and Arsenal, we find ourselves stuck using them very cautiously at times.

In recent years United have had to buy talent from elsewhere, and whilst that's the common order, you wonder how we can survive financially if the trend continues.

Money is spent on these young kids, yet we have to spend millions more on finding the right men to lead the side to league glory.

Recently the likes of Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney, Evra, Nani, and—to some extent— Valencia have been the catalyst within the side, but none of them has been from the youth academy.

While we agree that United's youth system is a world class academy, we have to ask why there aren't enough players making it to the top.

Looking towards the next season (2010/2011), it's clear there's a great need for new faces to freshen up the squad. While it will be unreasonable to not go into the market, Sir Alex has always tried to focus his money on young available talent.

Already we have seen United buy young Mame Biram Diouf, Chris Smalling, and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.

Speculation surrounding more transfers to Old Trafford means Sir Alex feels the current squad of players is not good enough, and although I'm a fanatical United fan I have to agree.

This season United played average football, with the last day left, United's chances of winning the league stands on the hopes of Chelsea dropping points, so even second place will be good enough after a season like this.

Next season, the challengers will only grow. Spurs and City will make a point of breaking into the 'Big Four,' Liverpool will be looking to fight back, Arsenal will surely be a handful having missed our on silverware for the past five season, and Chelsea's threat will only get bigger.