Man Utd appoint new head of academy player development & coaching

Manchester United have appointed former England youth coach Justin Cochrane as head of player development and coaching for senior academy players between the ages of 17 and 23, a crucial stage of the development process immediately before first-team level.

Cochrane was previously employed by the FA as a head coach of England’s Under-15, Under-16 and Under-17 sides, while he also recently spent time at AFC Wimbledon as a first-team coach. Before that, he had also spent nine years as a coach within Tottenham’s academy setup.

The 39-year-old will play a vital role as United hope to keep producing top home-grown talents.

“Joining such a world-renowned academy system is an extremely proud moment and I cannot wait to get started in this new and exciting role. From the first conversations, I could see the depth of top-level coaching talent that is already in place at the club,” Cochrane told ManUtd.com.

“I look forward to working with each of them to provide the right environment for our players to thrive and to continue the phenomenal record of developing players for Manchester United’s first-team.”

Players from the academy have underpinned United’s identity as a club for decades, with at least one home-grown player named in every single matchday squad since October 1937, a remarkable run of nearly 84 years.

“Our academy is a huge part of who we are as a club and its strategic importance to us can never be understated. Developing young players is fundamental to who we are as a club and its importance to us can never be understated,” football director John Murtough said.

“We welcome Justin’s appointment as part of our plan to bring the best external coaching talent to complement our existing group and further strengthen the work we are doing across the academy.”

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