United Confirm Five Reserve Players To Leave

[Drifter]

Manchester United have confirmed five young reserve team players will leave Old Trafford at the end of the month.

Michael Barnes, Sean Evans and Michael Lea have been released, plus Ritchie Jones, who made five first-team appearances, and Kieran Lee, whose three senior outings included a Premier League start at Chelsea in May 2007.

Lee has already been snapped up by Oldham, leaving the other four to find pastures new.

 

[PS18]

The official site have confirmed the release of Fagan and McCormack as well.

 

[Longlivekeano]

Good luck to the lads & may they have a good, long career. Their stint in United 's reserves and youth sides should bode them well for the future & enable them to snag contracts at other clubs, probably one or two divisions below the Premiership. If not, there is always the Scottish league where Michael Stewart (the worst United youth player I've ever seen play for United's first team) is plying his trade

 

[Drifter]

Just another sign that not everything is right at youth level.Good luck to them.

 

[greater wall]

Kieran Lee was the surprising one, he looked like a good footballer. Physically he looked slight but football wise he looked good.

 

[ronnie dazzler]

suppose it has to happen every year,as we have so many young players. Bit surpriseed by Lee and Jones, as rumours earlier suggested they had a good future

 

[Coca Cola]

What about Chris Eagles? did he get a new contract?

 

[PS18]

Just another sign that not everything is right at youth level.Good luck to them.

That's absolute nonsense frankly. A number of players get released every year and that has been the case for a long time, not just at United but at every club.

 

[WeWonItTwoTimes]

So next season's reserves squad at the moment is shaping up to be something like this:

Goalkeepers

Amos
Zieler

Defenders

Derbyshire
De Laet
Fabio
Eckersley
Chester

Midfielders

Possebon
Gibson
Martin
Drinkwater
Evans.C
Galbraith
Eikrem
James

Forwards

Welbeck
Macheda
Bryan

 

[Elliott]

Macheda will hopefully be a reserve regular next season, as well as shooting us to another FA youth cup.

Brandy will be at Swansea next term.

J. Evans and Campbell have outgrown reserve level by some distance and will be first team player here or on loan somewhere else.

Possebon will hopefully see first team action somewhere.

It'll be interesting to see how good Fabio and Rafael are. They've been starring for Brazil u17s since they were 15, but as far as I can tell they haven't been capped at a higher level. That's a bit strange.

The keepers are very interesting. Zieler is probably a cnut, being a German goalie and all. He's also a Cech look-a-like.

 

[Red Pavan]

So next season's reserves squad at the moment is shaping up to be something like this:

Goalkeepers

Zieler
Amos

Defenders

Evans.J
Simpson
Cathcart
Gray
Fabio
Rafael
Eckersley
Chester

Midfielders

Possebon
Eagles
Gibson
Martin
Hewson
Cleverley
Drinkwater
Derbyshire
Evans.C
Galbraith
Eikrem


Forwards

Welbeck
Manucho (pending work permit)
Campbell
Dong
Brandy
Bryan
Petrucci (Might play mainly for the U18s)


A couple of those players will probably become first-team squad players next season and I'd expect another 8-10 to leave permanently or on loan.

Personally, i think these ones can well go on become regular First Teamers in the not very distant future.

Future is looking very bright if you are United Fan.

 

[PS18]

Zieler a regular first-teamer in the not too distant future? Don't think so. Not shown anything to suggest he's worthy of that sort of hype yet and if Foster replaced VDS effectively then that's the keeper position locked down for the next decade or more.

Macheda's more likely to play for the reserves than Petrucci as well, at least initially. Just realised Elliot has already said that but oh well - agree with everything he wrote there, although I don't think Rodrigo will go out on loan straight away (January more likely if keeps progressing).

 

[PS18]

Ritchie Jones has signed for Hartlepool United. Sean Evans is on a week's trial at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Michael Lea on trial at Scunthorpe.

 

[Mr. MUJAC]

Personally, i think these ones can well go on become regular First Teamers in the not very distant future.

Future is looking very bright if you are United Fan.

How can you tell Petrucci will make it when we have never seen him play?

 

[Name Changed]

Personally, i think these ones can well go on become regular First Teamers in the not very distant future.

Future is looking very bright if you are United Fan.

Zieler? Don't know about that?

Macheda looks like the best prospect.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Do Gibson and Eagles have any hope?

 

[PS18]

Not with us. Should have decent careers but there's no real route to the first-team for them and neither have really done enough to merit taking a chance on them. Gibson didn't particularly impress at Wolves last year from what I've heard.

 

[Name Changed]

Do Gibson and Eagles have any hope?

No. Eagles is too weak and really doesn't have enough quality to make it at United. Gibson seemed to have all the attributes but his tenure at Wolves ws a disaster really. Neither will make it at United.