Manchester United is set to lose another member of its youth development staff. Academy coach Tom Curtis is expected to join Everton, and it sounds like this has been in the works for a while.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Curtis is in talks to leave United and link up with the Toffees’ under-21 setup. That puts him on a direct path to work alongside Dave Hughes, the former United under-21 assistant who is now slated to manage that same age group at Everton.
And here’s the thread that connects all this. Nick Cox, who used to run United’s entire academy, joined Everton last year as technical director. He’s been quietly reshaping their youth system ever since. Adding Curtis and Hughes feels like the logical next step in that rebuild.
Curtis didn’t come to United that long ago. He joined in November 2024 as head of player development for the under-13 and under-16 age groups. Before that, he worked for the FA in various youth roles. So he’s not a household name, but in academy circles, this is a real pickup for Everton.
The Ripple Effect at Carrington
United’s coaching staff has been shifting around all summer. Travis Binnion moved up from the under-21s to join Michael Carrick’s senior group alongside Jonathan Woodgate and Steve Holland. When Binnion got promoted, Curtis stepped in to manage the under-21s for four games as a temporary fill-in.
United eventually brought Adam Lawrence back to steady that ship. Lawrence was initially seen as a short-term fix through next season, but the club is now expected to announce he’s staying on permanently. That move essentially opened the door for Curtis to explore his options.
The club hasn’t made any official announcement about Curtis leaving, and neither has Everton. But the reporting is pretty firm. This is one of those quiet departures that doesn’t get a press conference, just a note on the club website a week later.
Everton Playing the Long Game
Everton’s academy overhaul under Cox isn’t flashy, but it’s thorough. Hughes and Curtis both bring United’s developmental methods with them. That’s not nothing. United’s academy has produced a steady stream of first-team talent for years, and Cox clearly wants to replicate some of that culture at Finch Farm.
For United, losing Curtis is part of the natural churn when you promote from within. Binnion got the senior job, Lawrence came back, and now Curtis gets a chance to run his own group at Everton. Nobody is panicking at Carrington. But it’s worth watching how many more staffers Cox tries to pick off.
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