"It's the pinnacle of youth football. Being here every day and watching the talent we've got, knowing I'm shaping this club is amazing for me. Second in their respective Premier League 2 and under-18 leagues and into the latter stages of three prestigious knockout competitions, including the FA Youth Cup, United's results at youth level this season have been excellent."
"Ultimately, I think that was based on things like facilities. It's like decorating your home. You do one room and another doesn't feel the same as the rest of the house. You could say the academy building isn't as advanced as where the first team is right now. There's a plan in place for us to refurbish, regenerate and do a lot of work around the academy facilities."
"My remit is to help us be the greatest academy in the world and to do it in a way we can be proud of. We've got a conveyor belt of talent that would suggest we are up there with the best academies globally."
Stephen Torpey, appointed as Manchester United's Academy director in August 2025 from Brentford, describes the role as the pinnacle of youth football. Despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe's October comments about slipped academy standards, United's youth teams are performing well, ranking second in their respective Premier League 2 and under-18 leagues while progressing through knockout competitions including the FA Youth Cup. Torpey interprets Ratcliffe's criticism as relating to outdated facilities rather than talent quality. He emphasizes plans to refurbish and regenerate academy infrastructure, which lagged behind the recent 50 million pound Carrington training ground renovation focused on the senior and women's teams. Torpey's objective is establishing United as the world's greatest academy while maintaining the club's proud tradition of home-grown players.
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Read at www.bbc.com
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