With the uninterrupted glory in 1988, the Manchester United youth training record may come to an end?

This is one of the most brilliant achievements in Manchester United's history, and even fans of the mortal enemy have to express their recognition with respect.

Since October 1937, there must be a player from his own youth training on every first-team roster in Manchester United - such a feat is really hard to describe in other words.

So far, this record has continued 4321 games and is still continuing. During this period, Manchester United won 44 important trophys, including 3 Champions League titles and 18 league titles (20 in the history of the team).

Now, however, this record seems unusually fragile. Although we don’t want to exaggerate, we have reason to ask: Will the 2025-26 season become its end?

Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona; Alejandro Garnacho is not in the plan for coach Ruben Amorin; Joni Evans, also from Manchester United's youth training, announced his boots; Scott McTominay and Mason Greenwood have left Old Trafford in different ways over the past year and so on; Brandon Williams.

Kobe Menu is still on the team, but what if the 20-year-old suffers from injury or suspension? He missed 17 games last season and 21 games in the previous season. If he is absent again, what will be the consequences?

"Selling McTominay is a mistake," Manchester United fan, team history researcher and writer Tony Parker is blunt, "Rashford is used wrong, and Williams is the same. I think Garnacho just wants to play offensive football, while the head coach is more conservative. There are no players who really stand out in the youth training camp now, and the whole system is too mediocre. "

When Parker co-authored the book "Sons of Manchester United", he clarified the details of this long record that has lasted for nearly 88 years through research and statistics.

Is this really important? For many people related to the club, the answer is yes. Because it highlights Manchester United's tradition and embodies the club's persistence in cultivating "one of our own people" year after year - those players who deserve the hymn of "one of us".

As Manchester United youth training director Nick Cox said to TA last year: "It was youth training that helped us survive World War II, and it was young people who helped us recover from the Munich air crash. Youth training is also the core of our most glorious moments - relying on a group of young players to win league championships and Champions League titles. "

The most typical example is the 2024 FA Cup final, where the goals of Garnacho and Maynu helped the team beat Manchester City. That may be the most glorious moment for Manchester United in 11 years of retirement.

"This has never been intentional, not a gimmick, nor a PR tool," Cox added, "It's just a natural result of how we act. The club is very proud of the youth training tradition. Fans are looking forward to seeing young local players in the first team, because young people are always in our history, both in the darkest years and other moments. "

But now there are drastically fewer people, so what about the club's situation?

Parker's analysis shows that in each first-team roster last season, the average number of youth training players was 4.51, down from 6.65 in the previous year. This season, it may usher in the most scarce situation in thirty years.

"In the 1990s, we often had to rely on a youth training player on the bench to continue the record," he said.

Like many Manchester United fans, Parker is willing to believe that the record can continue. "From multiple perspectives, it is not a good thing to lose so many youth training players, and some players should not have been let go. Something must have been wrong. However, if Taylor Frederickson, Jack Fletcher and others can get a stable bench, the situation should be maintained. "

But this will undoubtedly be a thrilling tug-of-war, which in turn makes people question: how much attention the club's senior management attaches to this record?

Does the Glazer family care? Does Sir Jim Ratcliff see him as a source of pride? Have they ever discussed this? "I'm not sure how much the club value it," Parker's judgment is that many people in charge seem to not understand in many ways. "

This is really regrettable, especially considering that Manchester United's previous head coaches attach great importance to promoting their own youth training players.

"It is absolutely pride to always use youth players and win trophies," Parker said. "We have been doing this since the 1930s. Walter Crickmer believed this during World War II, and later the head coaches, Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, made it into Manchester United's DNA. "

So what about Amorin? This season is crucial for the current Manchester United manager, who is eager to prove that his tactics will work in the Premier League. Given that the team was only ranked 15th last season, he might have reason to focus on other priorities. But is he really willing to be the head coach to break this glorious record?

Some fans (non-club aspects) have proposed an idea: to set the "roster must include youth training players" as a formal rule. Will Manchester United be the first club to formulate such mandatory rules? Will they even write it into the head coach’s contract?

"I personally do not agree with this, although it is not difficult to implement," Parker retorted. "Every head coach should give young people a chance naturally. But in the end, every player must win a place in the roster by virtue of strength. "

"This is an elite system. If our youth players are not good enough, they should not be chosen. But if it really reaches that point, we must have completely messed up at some point. "