Man Utd academy swelling with talent with JJ Gabriel's departure his own loss

Manchester United Under-18s 6-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers shows the talent and the expert coaching in the academy which JJ Gabriel will miss.

Plenty has been said about his decision to leave with his family unhappy at the chances he has had in the first team even though he is just 15.

But the fact that players from far and wide are coming to the United academy to progress their careers shows the respect it is held in.

And at United unlike many other clubs there is always a chance to break into the first team, with Shea Lacey the latest example.

At the weekend, Camron Mpofu opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Jariyah Shah doubled United’s advantage with a stunning strike just before half-time in the U18 clash against Wolves.

Jay McEvoy added a third shortly after the hour mark, before substitutes Edson DeJonge-Seiros and Douka Abdoulaye helped the Reds take complete control. DeJonge-Seiros struck twice from the bench, while Mpofu added his second, although the final touch appeared to come off Wolves defender Elliott Saba.

The result means Darren Fletcher’s side have now won four consecutive games in the Under-18 Premier League North, climbing to third in the table. With Michael Carrick and Steve Holland watching from the stands, United also recorded their fifth straight victory and clean sheet in all competitions.

Wolves had started brightly on a wet afternoon at Carrington, with Tejay Smith heading wide at the back post from Jacob Dean-Ford’s delivery.

United gradually found their rhythm, with Noah Ajayi causing problems down the left and captain McEvoy going close after Nathaniel-Junior Brown had been picked out by Jacob Watson’s excellent switch of play.

The visitors’ high press made life difficult for the Reds, but United finally broke through five minutes before the interval.

Brown was brought down inside the box after being released by McEvoy and Mpofu made no mistake from 12 yards, sending goalkeeper Alfie Arnold the wrong way.

Four minutes later, Shah produced the moment of the match. Operating at right-back after Yuel Helafu featured for the Under-21s on Friday, Shah collected Brown’s lay-off and rifled an unstoppable effort into the top corner from outside the area.

United continued to dominate after the restart and McEvoy went close before eventually getting his reward in the 61st minute, drilling Watson’s pass into the bottom corner for his third goal of the campaign.

Fletcher’s substitutes then made an immediate impact. Sam O’Brien’s delivery was headed back across goal by Watson and DeJonge-Seiros calmly finished from an acute angle to make it 4-0.

Mpofu added another in the 71st minute when Abdoulaye escaped down the right and delivered a low cross, although the final touch appeared to come off Saba.

DeJonge-Seiros completed the rout in the final minute of normal time, coolly finishing inside the box to claim his second goal since coming off the bench.

Idris Fabiyi thought he had added a seventh late on, but the offside flag ruled it out.

The emphatic victory extends United’s excellent run since their opening-day defeat, with five consecutive wins and clean sheets in all competitions.

Fletcher’s side now have a break before returning to action on 10 October, when they travel to face Chelsea in the Premier League Cup.