Man United appoint ex-Aston Villa man David Hughes as youth coach as academy shake-up continues
Manchester United’s summer reshuffle continues as former Cardiff academy boss David Hughes joins youth roster to help develop next class of 92
- David Hughes was the last academy boss at Championship club Cardiff
- He also has coaching experience with Watford, Aston Villa and Southampton
- Manchester United want to ‘increase training flexibility’ at their academy
- The Red Devils Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup for the 11th time last season
Manchester United have continued their academy set-up overhaul with the appointment of David Hughes.
The 44-year-old was most recently the academy manager at Championship club Cardiff, who announced he left earlier this month to take on an “exciting new challenge”.
Hughes also has experience coaching the youth teams of Shrewsbury, Watford, Wales, Aston Villa and Southampton.
Manchester United reportedly add David Hughes to their academy setup
United’s Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup in May by beating Nottingham Forest in the final
The Welshman will be appointed manager of the professional development stage at United – working primarily with the Under-21s but also across the 17-23 age group as a whole.
After winning the FA Youth Cup last season, the Red Devils are aiming to develop another generation of players to match the famous class of 92 – when Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham broke into the first team 30 years since.
As a player, Hughes came through the academy at Aston Villa and made seven Premier League appearances, but was forced to retire aged just 26 due to injuries. He also had spells in Carlisle, Shrewsbury and Cardiff.
His move from South Wales to Manchester comes as United look to “increase training flexibility” at their academy.
Last season’s Under-23 boss Neil Wood has been appointed as Salford City’s first team manager, while his assistant Neil Ryan has taken on a role in the FA.
United aim to develop another generation of players to match the famous class of 92
Hughes came through the academy at Aston Villa and made seven Premier League appearances
Paul McShane has spent the last term coaching the Under-23s while being used as an older player
Former United academy graduate Mark Dempsey has stepped into the role of Wood – although the Premier League have changed their youth competition from Under-23s to Under-21s.
He will be assisted by Paul McShane, who spent last season coaching the Under-23 side while being used as an older player in games.
Meanwhile, Travis Binnion – who led the Under-18s to FA Youth Cup glory in May – has been promoted to head of player development following Justin Cochrane’s departure to Brentford.
United have taken a host of academy players on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, including Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage.
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