Manchester United U18s coach Adam Lawrence has admitted how excited his players are as they take on Aston Villa in the FA Youth Cup semi-final.
Monday evening will see Manchester United‘s budding young talents take on difficult opposition in an attempt to reach their first FA Youth Cup final since they last won the competition in 2022.
With only four teams left in the competition, the prestigious trophy is in the sights of the teen Red Devils, as they aim to take the trophy back from their noisy neighbours.
Adam Lawrence’s talented teens took on a very promising U18 Arsenal outfit in the quarterfinals, which needed extra time to separate the two sides, with Lawrence’s side coming out as 3-2 victors.
With no Chido Obi to spearhead the United attack, this game was always going to pose a difficult task. Fortunately for the Red Devils, goals from Jack Fletcher, Jaydan Kamason, and an extra-time winner from starlet Bendito Mantato proved enough to move into the semi-finals.
Lawrence speaks on excitement ahead of Villa clash
In a recent interview, lead coach Lawrence made it clear how excited the young Reds are to take on the challenge of an FA Youth Cup semi-final and how all the players are aware of the competition’s prestige.
“Everyone’s really excited about the game,” Lawrence told media last week. “This competition obviously means a lot to the players and the club, and to get to this stage of it and be playing in a really good semi-final game against really good opposition in Aston Villa at Villa Park, there’s not much to not get excited about!
“We need to be really focused around our work and what we’re doing and our planning and preparation around the game, but there’s definitely a buzz around the group and the training ground in general.
“The players are really aware of the players who’ve played in this in the past and the success we’ve had in the competition. I think the boys want to give the best account of themselves, and every youth-team player remembers their Youth Cup years.
“There’s a lot that goes on within the programme and a lot of competitions, but the FA Youth Cup is one that the boys definitely look forward to and enjoy.”
As for players United fans should look out for, two of the goalscorers against Arsenal in the last round have been tipped as possible future wing-backs under Rúben Amorim.
Kamason and Mantato are both very exciting wide talents for the U18s and could bring a lot of pace and flair to Amorim’s current problem area in the coming seasons.
FA Youth Cup 2022: Where are they now?
One of the main reasons why the importance of the FA Youth Cup cannot be downplayed for Manchester United is because of their past success within the competition.
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The 11-time winners will be looking to add another to their collection this season as their youth stars aim to make a name for themselves in a similar fashion to those before them.
United’s 2022 FA Youth Cup side will be a huge inspiration to their current U18s today, as two of the players who played detrimental parts in that campaign, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, have both gone on to become first-team regulars.
More excitingly, these academy graduates were the only two players to score in United’s FA Cup final win last season, when they beat close rivals Manchester City 2-0.
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