Manchester United officially welcomed 15 new academy scholars this week, handing out the club blazers and personalized shirts during a signing day ceremony last week. The group now moves into the U18s setup, and academy watchers are already sorting through the names to figure out who might break through next.
The headliner is obviously Kai Rooney, son of club legend Wayne. He’s already got four goals in limited U18s minutes and missed part of last season with an injury. But he’s not the only one with a famous last name. Jacey Carrick, son of first-team boss Michael, is in the mix too. He played mostly at U16s level last season but made one U18s appearance. England’s youth setup has him on standby lists after a 2024 U15s camp.
Then there’s Jacob Emsden-James, who arrived from Southampton last summer for a reported £1 million. He’s already captained the group and made three U18s appearances last season. He also started for England’s U17s in a 5-2 win over the USA. The comps to Rio Ferdinand are floating around, which is a lot of pressure for a 16-year-old but also tells you what the club sees.
Out of the 15 names, there’s only one goalkeeper. Zach Ford is the guy, a 6-foot-3 shot-stopper who also plays striker for his school team. He was behind Darlington Osuchukwu in recent years, but Osuchukwu is reportedly heading to Spain this summer, which opens the door. Ford will still have to battle Charlie Hardy, signed last summer, for the U18s job.
A few others worth tracking. Amir Ibragimov’s younger brother, Gazik (full name Gazik Ibragimov), is a physical center-back with Dagestani roots who made his U18s debut against Sunderland in the final league match of last season. He’s a no-nonsense type who likes mixing it up with strikers. Left-footed defender Tobi Fabiyi impressed at last year’s SuperCupNI before an injury sidelined him for most of the 2025/26 season. He’s eligible for England and Nigeria.
James O’Brien, an industrious left-back who has been at the club since age eight, already made his U18s debut off the bench in a 1-2 loss to Sunderland. He’ll likely deputize for England youth international Jacob Watson. Another left-back option is Reiss Laurie, who has been in and out with injuries but played a key role in the U15s national championship team.
The midfield group includes Scotland youth international Finlay McLaughlin, who scored a stunner against Poland on his U17s debut and recently impressed at a tournament in the Netherlands. Jeremie Silvester is the smallest player in the class but has technical skills that stand out, including a goal on the U16s Hong Kong tour. The club expects him to hit a late growth spurt like Shea Lacey and Jesse Lingard did, and they’ve already locked him into a four-year deal.
Wingers include Camron Ziro, signed from a West London grassroots club at the end of 2024, and Donaldo Mpofu, who came from Reading two years ago and is the second Scotland youth international in the group behind McLaughlin. Both have pace. Ziro likes to run at defenders from either wing or as a 10. Mpofu has made two U18s appearances already. And Dide Adegoke, a winger with blistering pace and eligibility for England, Portugal, and Angola, is also in the mix but didn’t play much due to injury.
Jake Nganga, signed from Liverpool, is a box-to-box midfielder with a big frame who stood out against Rangers at last year’s SuperCupNI. And there’s a Catalan connection. Alfie Camacho grew up a Barcelona fan and got to cheekily tell Sir Alex Ferguson about Barca’s Champions League win during the club’s Lifeblood series. He joined United from Manchester City, and his younger brother has since made the same switch. Camacho made two U18s league appearances last season against Burnley and Sunderland.
This group won back-to-back national titles at U14s and U15s levels but couldn’t defend at U16s, partly because Kai Rooney missed the group stage with injury. Now they step into the U18s, where the competition gets real. Academy fans will be watching to see who adjusts fastest.
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