Manchester United’s Under-18s continue their impressive run of form under Darren Fletcher with a 6-1 victory over Derby County.
In the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, Manchester United’s Under-18s were forced into extra time by Derby County on Darren Fletcher’s return to the junior dugout, following his short stint in charge of the first team after Rúben Amorim’s sacking.
Today, Derby visited Carrington for a U18 Premier League North tie, and it was quite a different story.
With Michael Carrick in attendance once again, United’s Under-18s won 6-1 thanks to three braces from Noah Ajayi, Louie Bradbury and, of course, JJ Gabriel. Wayne Rooney was also present to watch his son Kai come off the bench for the final 20 minutes.
United took the lead after just six minutes thanks to Bradbury, who didn’t start the Youth Cup tie as Chido Obi appears to be first-choice for that competition. Obi netted four goals in a 4-1 win for the Under-21s on Monday evening.
Derby County struck back 20 minutes later, but that was as much joy as they had at Carrington. An interesting penalty decision in the second half gave them some hope, but Cameron Bryne-Hughes saved the effort with a good dive to his left-hand side.
All of United’s youngsters came out with a positive viewing, but Noah Ajayi’s impressive performance has caught the eye of fans of the academy, and not for the first time.
Ajayi flying under the radar
His brace today will have shone some light on him, but Noah Ajayi has often flown under the radar due to his high-flying teammate, JJ Gabriel, who has already been in first-team training and, as some reports suggest, impressing as he does so.
But this isn’t about JJ Gabriel; we all know how talented he is.
Back to Ajayi, he is a German-born 17-year-old wide player who moved to England aged 10. Rather oddly, he made his United Under-21s debut in April 2025, before making his Under-18s debut the next day. This season, though, he has been a regular part of Fletcher’s U18s setup, especially since the turn of the new year.
“He’s really taken a big step up in 2026 and has emerged as one of the biggest talents in his age group,” Academy Scoop said on X, following Ajayi’s first goal against Derby – a brilliantly struck effort from outside the box after Gabriel laid the ball off to him from an Albert Mills long ball. “There’s some seriously impressive weapons in his arsenal – I’m really looking forward to watching him continue to develop.”
Rather than curling the shot across goal, aiming for the top corner – as many young left-wingers would – Ajayi quickly shifted the ball from under his feet to just ahead of his stronger right foot, before generating a ridiculous amount of power for his shot at the near side.
The speed and power proved too much for the Derby County goalkeeper, who was exceptional at Old Trafford, but it’s not Ajayi’s ball-striking that has caught the eye of fans of the academy.
Want to stay as up-to-date as possible on the latest Manchester United updates? Add UtdDistrict as a preferred source on Google for news you can rely on.
Ajayi’s biggest strength
Like most inverted wide players, Ajayi’s biggest strength is his dribbling. What sets him apart, though, is his ability to keep the ball so close to his feet in narrow and confined spaces – a trait many used to praise Anthony Martial and now applaud Matheus Cunha for.
For his second goal of the game, Ajayi picked the ball up on the halfway line, just metres away from Darren Fletcher and his coaching staff, before quickly striding forward, using his full frame and stride to carry the ball with pace.
The 17-year-old didn’t encounter a defender until he reached the penalty area, when he slowed and shifted the ball to his left side, encouraging two Derby players to engage him.
Ajayi used his close control to drop his shoulder and find the gap between the sliding centre-back and gopping central midfielder, who was likely left thinking: ‘Wow. There’s not much I could’ve done about that.” And it’s true, there wasn’t.
Read More: What Barcelona told Marcus Rashford about Man Utd return amid continuing transfer stalemate
Ajayi has now scored in three games in a row, using his delicate dribbling to aid him in each and every match.
United fans have always loved a wide player who consistently drives at his full-back, before looking to cross the ball in or get his shot off if the situation is applicable. It’s why Alejandro Garnacho had so much support from the off, it’s why many are already excited by JJ Gabriel, and it’s why Noah Ajayi could become a very popular figure at Old Trafford in years to come.
It’s important not to overhype a youngster, but Ajayi’s current form cannot be ignored.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.