Sir Alex Ferguson on youth development

Developing young talent has been an intrinsic part of United's football philosophy ever since Sir Matt Busby introduced the idea in the 1950s.

Sir Alex Ferguson has used Sir Matt's blueprint to great success, further developing United's youth system, which now not only produces local lads, but talent from around the globe. Here, the Reds boss discusses the importance of youth development throughout United's history...

Sir Matt & His Babes

“I remember watching United play in the Coronation Cup in Glasgow in ’53. They had a side full of players from the '48 team who were coming to the end; the only young member of the team was Roger Byrne. So somewhere along the line between '53 and '56 the plot was hatched! There was this amazing development going on inside Old Trafford that no-one knew about - except for fans who went to watch the Youth team. Suddenly we had these fantastic Busby Babes.

“The work done by the scouts and the coaches towards that commitment of producing young players must have been unbelievable. We’re not talking about just one or two players, six or seven were coming through the youth system every year. It was an incredible period in United’s history."

“The real story started after Munich when Sir Matt rebuilt the club and led them to the European Cup ten years later. People were captivated by the courage of United and its manager, as well as the number of young players that he brought through into the team; that’s never left us.”

Following In Sir Matt's Footsteps

"When I first came to the club one of my main aims was to reinvigorate our youth system to the level that we’ve now reached and one that we’re very happy with. I re-jigged the whole system of youth development from the scouting to the trialling. Seeing that group of players – the two Nevilles, Butt, Scholes, Beckham and Giggs – come through was fantastic and people will remember these players forever.

“Bringing young players through to the first team has given me the most satisfaction and it’s great to see the likes of John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher, Kieran Richardson and Wes Brown who have all since come through the system as well.

“What we do well at this club is develop young players to a level that will take them far in the game. But I’m always looking ahead and trying to improve things. You can’t stand still because they’ll be hard times ahead unless you keep on working. We’ve always driven forward at this club no matter what success we’ve enjoyed. This club has proved in the past that any young kid coming through the ranks will get an opportunity.”

Making It To The Top

“Ability is usually the first thing that strikes you about a player - pace, balance, good technical skills and good awareness are very important. But to make it as a top player at this club you also need good character to help you live up to the demands of today and a desire to want to win - if you’ve got those things you’ve got a chance.”