Love to be back in the UCL but one of the best things about it is participating in the UEFA Youth League.
Young players need more pressurised moments and matches in order to develop and this competition is one of the best in providing that. All academies missed gaining the important international experience due to covid so it's good to see us taking part in multiple tournaments across the globe this summer.
Historically we haven't done particularly well in the UYL with our best achievement being reaching the last 16 in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22. In 2022 we got knocked out by Dortmund after penalties. Topped the group both in 2018 and 2021 ending the group stage with 15 points. It's good to remember that those came with both teams featuring some top talents in Gomes, Kovář, Laird, Garner, Chong, Greenwood, Williams, Levitt, Ramazani, Mengi etc. (2018/19) and Garnacho, Hannibal, Elanga, Iqbal, Mainoo, Oyedele, Fernández etc. (2021/22)
Our UYL history so far:
2013/14: Group stage
2015/16: Group stage
2017/18: Round of 16
2018/19: Round of 16
2021/22: Round of 16
//
This season the age cut is 1/1/2005. So players born 2005 or later are eligible. Any player who is fielded in three or more UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and/or UEFA Europa Conference League matches (as of the group stages of those competitions) in the course of the 2023/24 season ceases to be eligible to play in the UEFA Youth League.
All clubs are also allowed to add up to five players born on or after 1 January 2004 on the list of 40 players, provided the following criteria are fulfilled:
- The player has been eligible to play for the club concerned without interruption for the two years immediately preceding 19 September 2023, or has been eligible to play for the club concerned for two of the three years immediately preceding 19 September 2023 and registered with a maximum of one other club from the same association for an uninterrupted period of up to one year for the other one.
At least four out of the 40 players must be goalkeepers.
//
So how will our squad look like?
GK: Wooster, Myles, Harrison, Murdock
RB: Ogunneye, Kamason, Lawrence, Nolan
CB: Fredricson, Jackson, Kingdon, Munro, Kukonki(?)
LB: Williams (could play as a LB due to lack of options), Amass, Mantato, Murray**
DM: McAllister, Fitzgerald
CM: Mainoo*, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Moorhouse, Baumann, Devaney, Curley(?)
RW: Lacey, Sharpe, Ennis**
AM: Scanlon, Berry
LW: Missin, Mather**, Ibragimov (if we can sort out the visa issues)
ST: Wheatley, Musa, Biancheri, Kaba
* Eligible, but very unlikely to feature
** In terms of the five overaged players, I wouldn't be surprised to see Murray included due to the lack of LB options (Amass and Mantato being pretty young). Mather could be one for sure. Oyedele, Gore, Hansen-Aarøen, Forson, Ennis, Jurado, Aljofree & Kambwala are the other options. We've got enough CBs, but quality-wise we could perhaps use Aljofree or Kambwala there. We've got plenty of CMs both in numbers and in quality so the bolded will probably not be playing UYL this season. Don't know what the situation with Ennis is, but if he's fit or about to get fit he's in dire need of games.
Some of those players are probably going to leave permanently, some are going on loan and we might still get a few more academy signings. We've got a lot of versatile players so the positions are naturally fluid.
So that's 37 players I've listed if we exclude Kobbie. We'll most likely fill the squad with the maximum five 2004-born players which takes it close to a list of 40 players.
//
In my opinion the best XI would be something like this:
Young players need more pressurised moments and matches in order to develop and this competition is one of the best in providing that. All academies missed gaining the important international experience due to covid so it's good to see us taking part in multiple tournaments across the globe this summer.
Historically we haven't done particularly well in the UYL with our best achievement being reaching the last 16 in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22. In 2022 we got knocked out by Dortmund after penalties. Topped the group both in 2018 and 2021 ending the group stage with 15 points. It's good to remember that those came with both teams featuring some top talents in Gomes, Kovář, Laird, Garner, Chong, Greenwood, Williams, Levitt, Ramazani, Mengi etc. (2018/19) and Garnacho, Hannibal, Elanga, Iqbal, Mainoo, Oyedele, Fernández etc. (2021/22)
Our UYL history so far:
2013/14: Group stage
2015/16: Group stage
2017/18: Round of 16
2018/19: Round of 16
2021/22: Round of 16
//
This season the age cut is 1/1/2005. So players born 2005 or later are eligible. Any player who is fielded in three or more UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and/or UEFA Europa Conference League matches (as of the group stages of those competitions) in the course of the 2023/24 season ceases to be eligible to play in the UEFA Youth League.
All clubs are also allowed to add up to five players born on or after 1 January 2004 on the list of 40 players, provided the following criteria are fulfilled:
- The player has been eligible to play for the club concerned without interruption for the two years immediately preceding 19 September 2023, or has been eligible to play for the club concerned for two of the three years immediately preceding 19 September 2023 and registered with a maximum of one other club from the same association for an uninterrupted period of up to one year for the other one.
At least four out of the 40 players must be goalkeepers.
//
So how will our squad look like?
GK: Wooster, Myles, Harrison, Murdock
RB: Ogunneye, Kamason, Lawrence, Nolan
CB: Fredricson, Jackson, Kingdon, Munro, Kukonki(?)
LB: Williams (could play as a LB due to lack of options), Amass, Mantato, Murray**
DM: McAllister, Fitzgerald
CM: Mainoo*, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Moorhouse, Baumann, Devaney, Curley(?)
RW: Lacey, Sharpe, Ennis**
AM: Scanlon, Berry
LW: Missin, Mather**, Ibragimov (if we can sort out the visa issues)
ST: Wheatley, Musa, Biancheri, Kaba
* Eligible, but very unlikely to feature
** In terms of the five overaged players, I wouldn't be surprised to see Murray included due to the lack of LB options (Amass and Mantato being pretty young). Mather could be one for sure. Oyedele, Gore, Hansen-Aarøen, Forson, Ennis, Jurado, Aljofree & Kambwala are the other options. We've got enough CBs, but quality-wise we could perhaps use Aljofree or Kambwala there. We've got plenty of CMs both in numbers and in quality so the bolded will probably not be playing UYL this season. Don't know what the situation with Ennis is, but if he's fit or about to get fit he's in dire need of games.
Some of those players are probably going to leave permanently, some are going on loan and we might still get a few more academy signings. We've got a lot of versatile players so the positions are naturally fluid.
So that's 37 players I've listed if we exclude Kobbie. We'll most likely fill the squad with the maximum five 2004-born players which takes it close to a list of 40 players.
//
In my opinion the best XI would be something like this:
Harrison
McAllister - Nolan/Fredricson - Munro - Amass
Fitzgerald - J.Fletcher/Curley
Lacey - Moorhouse - Williams
Wheatley
We've got some very talented players in the squad but going further than before would require the key players staying fit and/or some of the younger players (Ibragimov, Kukonki) stepping up and bringing quality to positions we're not that strong in.McAllister - Nolan/Fredricson - Munro - Amass
Fitzgerald - J.Fletcher/Curley
Lacey - Moorhouse - Williams
Wheatley
Last edited:
