MANCHESTER United's decision to scrap one of their two reserve teams will seem like the end of the world right now for some of the young hopefuls at Old Trafford.
Kids in that discarded team who had been dreaming of becoming future Premiership stars will almost certainly be farmed out to lower division clubs to continue their football education. Deep down those despondent youngsters may well be feeling that their career is as good as over before its really begun.
But those Old Trafford fledglings should take heart. For being sent into the quieter waters of the Football League can be the beginning of a glittering football career, rather than the end. And if those youngsters need proof, they need look no further than David Beckham.
For Beckham was dispatched into the lower reaches of English football when he was loaned out to Third Division Preston North End in the spring of 1995 before he was catapulted to stardom at the Theatre of Dreams. The man who signed Beckham for the Lillywhites was the then Preston manager Gary Peters, who is currently on the coaching staff at Shrewsbury Town.
Recalls Peters: "I was looking to bring some quality to Deepdale at that time and I knew there was an abundance of that commodity in the junior teams at Old Trafford.
"There was obviously no chance of signing the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes or Nicky Butt because, as young as they were, they had already started to make their mark in Alex Ferguson's senior team.
"But Becks, at that stage, hadn't made the same progress as some of the other members of United's youth team. He was still on the smallish side and not physically strong, and that was what was holding him back. So David was the one I went for and, after a bit of persuasion, Alex agreed to let him come to Deepdale on loan.
"I remember in his first game for us that he scored direct from a corner - and I believe he meant it - and in his second game he scored with one of those free-kicks which were to become his trademark.
"Of course, the minute Becks returned to Old Trafford he forced his way into Alex's senior team and the rest is history."
Have United been short-sighted in dropping one of the reserve sides? Have your say.
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I think UNITED are right to dump one of the reserves. It doesn't seem to be a strong enough challence to develop the youngsters to take the next step. But they have to give them more of a challence by giving the once that are closest to the first team a chance to get experience by loaning them out to another club. The once that's not just ready for that can play in the reserves. Playing first team football is the right way to develop these youngsters to be UNITED firstteam players.
it would be a nice gesture if united could loan some of the lads to exeter city
Uniteds announcement that they are about to let a lot of young kids go is only the thin edge of the wedge,there will literally be hundreds of kids shown the door by all the pro clubs.The F.A have told clubs to reduce the ammount of teams they run at the Acadamies this will mean a whole squad of young players also being released. At a conservative estimate,some 800-1000 players under the age of twenty will be on the scrap heap,Paul Hinces article is so wide of the mark in relation to the true situation that will affect these lads.They now have to compete with the 300 or so experienced players who will be released for any contracts that are available!