Man Utd’s academy record: Jack Fletcher set to replace Kobbie Mainoo in matchday squad

Manchester United midfielder Jack Fletcher is expected to replace the injured Kobbie Mainoo in the squad for Saturday’s Premier League game at Tottenham, which would keep the club’s 88-year record of having an academy product in every matchday squad in tact.

Mainoo, 20, did not travel to London with Ruben Amorim’s squad and is believed to have sustained a minor injury.

England youth international Jack Fletcher, son of former United midfielder and current Under-18s coach Darren, has travelled with Amorim’s squad.

The 18-year-old is yet to make his first team debut for United, but was on the first team bench on a number of occasions last season.

He and twin Tyler joined United from Manchester City’s academy in 2023.

Jack was picked for England’s Under-19 squad for the forthcoming European Championship qualifiers in Lithuania and could meet Tyler, who is in Scotland’s squad.

For the past four games, Mainoo has been the only academy graduate in United’s squad.

Goalkeeper Tom Heaton is another option who has come through the academy, but the 39-year-old is third choice behind Altay Bayındır and Senne Lammens.

The other academy product to have been in a squad this season is Stockport-born Tyler Fredricson, who started the EFL Cup loss at Grimsby.

United have a proud record of having an academy graduate or what the club refer to as a “homegrown player” in every matchday squad since 1937.

The sequence, which stretches for over 4,000 consecutive games, started on Saturday, 30 October 1937, when Tom Manley and Jack Wassall were involved in an away game at Fulham.

United class a homegrown player, external as one who signed before the age of 21 having not played for another senior team, and played for a junior team at United.

Amorim recently said he would not be the coach who broke that record, although minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently criticised the academy, saying standards have “really slipped”.

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