Every Man Utd academy player of the year since 2000 – and where they are now

You could be forgiven for thinking that winners of the Manchester United Academy Player of the Year award would generally go on to enjoy a glittering career in the higher echelons of the game.

But surprisingly, that rarely seems to be the case, with injuries taking their toll on some players while other starlets just fade into obscurity.

The award's recent recipients look like the most promising for a long time, but whether United can hang on to them remains the elephant in the room.

We’ve taken a look back at every winner of the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year since 2000.

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1999/00: Bojan Djordjic

Djordjic made one solitary United appearance which came in a 3-1 defeat to Watford in May 2001.

The former winger now works as a pundit for MUTV and Swedish television.

2000/01: Alan Tate

Left United for Swansea where he played over 250 games and became something of a club legend.

Became an assistant first-team coach to Swans boss Steve Cooper in September 2019, while continuing his work as a youth coach.

2001/02: Paul Tierney

Not to be confused with the Premier League referee of the same name, Tierney made one United appearance in a League Cup defeat to West Brom in December 2003.

The left-back soon tumbled down the divisions and was last seen at Altrincham in 2008 when he was still just 26.

2002/03: Ben Collett

Sadly suffered a double leg break in a reserve game just a week after scoring in the first leg of United’s FA Youth Cup victory over Middlesbrough.

He never fully recovered but did win a £4.5m payout after undergoing legal proceedings against Middlesbrough and their player Gary Smith.

2003/04: Jonathan Spector

Our biggest success story so far, Spector won 36 caps for the USA and played for Tottenham, Birmingham and Orlando City.

Now working in a recruitment role with Atlanta United FC.

2004/05: Giuseppe Rossi

Another career that unfortunately never reached its potential due to injury, although he still won 30 caps for Italy.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera in December 2019, free agent Rossi stated that he was 'ready to help out any Serie A team'.

2005/06: Darron Gibson

Scored for United in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final and then smashed his car up while drunk at Sunderland some years later.

Now turning out for Salford City in a career that's had more than its fair share of ups and downs.

2006/07: Craig Cathcart

Cathcart never made a senior appearance for United but has gone on to establish himself as a Watford and Northern Ireland centre-back.

2007/08: Danny Welbeck

Sold to Everton by Louis van Gaal in 2014, Welbz always seemed to be struck down by injury just as he hit peak form.

Now with Cathcart at the Hornets where he is yet to score in the Premier League.

2008/09: Federico Macheda

Macheda looked set to blow after that epic winner against West Ham but his career afterburners subsequently stalled on launch.

Don Balón included the 28-year-old in their list of the 100 best young players born after 1989 in 2010, but 'Kiko' is now at Panathinaikos where he has scored 22 in 52 games.

2009/10: Will Keane

Twin brother of Aston Villa defender Michael, Will signed permanently with League One outfit Ipswich Town on a free transfer last summer.

2010/11: Ryan Tunnicliffe

When Tunnicliffe made his United debut in 2012 he won his father a bet that he had made 10 years earlier, with a return of £10,000.

Now at Luton, he was given a two-match ban and a £5,000 fine for calling Patrick Bamford a 'sausage boy' over Twitter in 2015.

2011/12: Mats Møller Daehli

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is evidently a fan of the midfielder, having signed him for Molde and cardiff.

Was described as 'an exceptional talent with superior technique' and is now playing for Genk in Belgium.

2012/13: Ben Pearson

Was regularly compared to Paul Scholes while coming up through the academy but Pearson couldn't live up to the billing.

Now making headway at Preston in the Championship where he has managed just the one goal in over 100 games so far.

2013/14: James Wilson

Clung on to his status as a Man Utd player until last summer when he finally departed for Aberdeen.

Actually played 13 Prem games in the 2014/15 season but recently signed for Salford City on an 18-month contract.

2014/15: Axel Tuanzebe

Tuanzebe spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, making 30 appearances helping the club earn promotion via the playoffs.

Has made just five appearances for United this season after being hit by injuries.

2015/16: Marcus Rashford

Comfortably the biggest success story of the list, Marcus Rashford already has 64 United goals and could eventually rival Wayne Rooney's total of 253.

Currently out injured with a compressed vertebra and hoping to return in time to represent England at the upcoming Euros.

2016/17: Angel Gomes

The youngest player to win the Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year award, Gomes is stalling on signing a new contract at United due to reported interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.

The 19-year-old has made six senior appearances this season and scored three goals in three games for United's under-23 side in the Premier League 2 competition.

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2017/18 – Tahith Chong

Another highly-rated contract rebel, whose deal is up at the end of the season. Solskjaer wants to keep the Dutch winger but Juventus are lurking with intent of bringing him to Serie A.

2018/19 – Mason Greenwood

Became the club's youngest ever goalscorer in European competition at the age of 17 years, 353 days when he netted against Astana.

A huge prospect who takes penalties and free-kicks with his wrong foot just as well as he can with his 'right' foot.

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