Manchester United’s under-21s won 4-1 against West Ham on Monday afternoon to progress into the semi-finals of the PL2 Play-Offs.
It has been a strong season for Manchester United’s youth sides, with the Under-18s finishing second in their league while the Under-21s finished fifth in the PL2, their highest position in the last five years.
The new format of the Premier League’s youth division now means that there are play-offs at the end of the season between the top 16 sides in the 26-team league.
United saw off Everton in the round-of-16 with a 4-2 win and have now secured their place in the semi-final against rivals Manchester City after an impressive 4-1 win over West Ham on Monday afternoon.
It wasn’t the best start to the game for Travis Binnion’s side, who went into the break 1-0 down after a slow first-half, but they exploded into action in the final 45 minutes and securing a much-deserved win.
Tyler Fletcher redeems himself vs West Ham after early mistake
Tyler Fletcher was the man who gave up possession for the opener. An uncharacteristic error from the midfielder in the build-up phase allowed Chukwuemeka Adiele to take advantage and score.
However, it was Fletcher who helped spark the comeback in the second half, with the 17-year-old grabbing assists for United’s first two goals.
After setting up James Scanlon on the right side of the box for one goal, Fletcher showed tenacity in the press and snatched the ball, poking it forward to Ethan Wheatley, who then gave United the lead.
Despite the early error, Fletcher made up for it, not only through his attacking contributions, but also his general play across that second half.
The teenager now has four goals and 14 assists in all competitions across youth level this term, a really impressive return considering he is often the deepest midfielder.
Tyler Fletcher forcing his way into Amorim’s thoughts
There has been a lot of attention on his twin brother, Jack, but Tyler has gone slightly under the radar at Academy level, partly due to an injury-filled campaign when he joined the club last term. But his performances have been brilliant this season and U21s boss Binnion has described him as ‘underrated’.
Fletcher has not yet been spotted training with Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad and there hasn’t really much much chatter about him being included in the first-team’s pre-season plans.
However, Amorim will have to be thinking about the young midfielder after his performances this season, and he will likely be receiving glowing reviews about him from Academy staff.
United fans are excited to see the different youngsters involved in the friendly games over the summer, and Fletcher may end up being one of them after forcing his way into the conversation.
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