How Chester FC fans have reacted to Manchester United recalling Elyh Harrison from loan

Manchester United starlet Elyh Harrison left a good impression during his six-month loan stint at National League North side Chester FC.

Manchester United’s first confirmed move of the January transfer window involves one of their most promising Academy talents, Elyh Harrison, returning to the club.

The 18-year-old goalkeeper joined National League North side Chester FC on loan in the summer, where he made 23 appearances and quickly established himself as a key player. During his stint, Harrison kept nine clean sheets and played a pivotal role in Chester’s success.

Chester FC released a statement confirming the news: “Chester FC can confirm that goalkeeper Elyh Harrison has been recalled from his loan by parent club Manchester United.”

This loan spell marked Harrison’s first taste of senior football, and he made a strong impression. Chester manager Calum McIntyre praised the young goalkeeper, describing him as ‘immense’.

Harrison has been regarded as a top talent at United for several years. He was named the club’s U21 Player of the Year last season before embarking on his loan spell.

How Chester fans reacted to Harrison’s United recall

Chester FC are currently chasing the promotion spots in the National League North, sitting 11th in the table but just one point away from 7th place.

Losing their first-choice ‘keeper is a blow and fans have admitted that they are ‘gutted’ to see Harrison leave.

One supporter wrote on X: Gutted. Good luck and thank you, Elyh! You’ve been immense. I know we’ll be following your career with great interest!”

Another posted: “Thanks Elyh, that’s a big loss for us. Good luck in your future career.”

“Lad has been superb for us, how many clean sheets? Good luck to him in his career. Who ever gets him on loan next has a good keeper,” a third added.

It is quite clear that the 18-year-old made a really positive impression during his time at Chester, who also done well to trust and help develop United’s teenager.

Harrison is expected to remain at United for the rest of the season to train with Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad and play in the club’s Under-21s games.

Amorim explains important of first-team training for United youngsters

There have not yet been many reports about Amorim using many Academy players in his first-team training sessions, partly because there has only been a handful of them.

Godwill Kukonki, the 16-year-old centre-back, is the only youngster to have broken into a matchday squad under the new boss so far.

However, once things have settled down and Amorim is not flooded by two games per week, it is expected that he will introduce more youngsters to first-team training.

While going out on loan and getting first-team experience is important, as Harrison has done, Amorim has also noted how essential training with the United first-team squad is as well.

“Yeah, they are learning about football – the football idea. But they have to feel that [by] training with the first-team,” he previously told club media.

“That is important for them to grow, to understand what they need to be there. We will do that often.”

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“Nowadays you need young guys, guys from the Academy for everything. To bring that history to the club because they feel the club in a different way.”

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