Overview

• Ruben Amorim vowed to keep an academy player in every matchday squad, extending a club run that began in October 1937.
• Sunday’s Manchester derby is set to become United’s 4,326th consecutive fixture with a homegrown player named.
• United have only four academy graduates in the senior group, with limited recent minutes for several of them.
• Kobbie Mainoo was omitted from the confirmed 21-man Premier League list but remains eligible via the U21 registration after a denied summer loan request.
• Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 shape and Bruno Fernandes’ deeper role place Mainoo in direct competition, as recent sales such as Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Chelsea reflect financial pressures on academy policy.