For fans wanting to discover the philosophy and methods that drove the success, ‘Lifeblood: Climbing the Mountain’ provides a rare insight into the Academy.
Here are some things to look out for…
A BIG PICTURE FOCUS
If it wasn’t evident throughout the season itself — with United using a full 33 players across the campaign to allow all players the right development opportunities — it’s certainly clear throughout ‘Climbing the Mountain’ what the Academy’s philosophy is.
“It’s not mini-first teams here,” says Paul McShane, an Academy alumnus himself and current Under-15s coach.
“It’s all about the [individual] player. It’s about getting players into our first-team rather than creating mini first-teams.”
That same drive applies to the Professional Development Phase, which begins at Under-17 level and aims to prepare the boys to be ready for a full career in the game.
As Under-21s assistant coach Dave Hughes outlines: “What success looks like will be different for every individual but ultimately doing right for everybody and every individual within the programme.”
