Manchester United have invited members of Huddersfield Town’s academy for trials, and other clubs are set to do likewise after the Premier League new boys decision to scrap their academy.
Terriers’ owner Dean Hoyle has decided to close the club’s academy and overhaul the club’s youth set-up.
Huddersfield have elected to move from Category II status to category IV of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), having not brought through a home-grown player to the first team since Jon Stead.
The club’s decision means they are now only allowed to recruit and develop talent aged 16 or over, with the current youth sides up to Under-16s to be phased out by the end of the month.
United have moved swiftly to have a look at some of the youngsters, inviting 15 boys of various ages for trials.
Rocco Fragapane and Raj Mahmood, both of whom have earned England Under-16 call-ups, are being looked at by United. According to the Daily Mail, another four youngsters were due to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Under-14 level on Monday night.
Premier League rivals Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City - all based in the north west and crucially within 90 minutes of the John Smith’s Stadium - are also set to offer a number of the Terriers’ released youngsters the offer of trials.
Philip Billing is the only 'academy graduate' in David Wagner's first-team squad having been signed from Esbjerg in Denmark as a 16-year-old in 2013.
Hoyle has laid bare why he has made the decision, telling trainingground.guru: "Huddersfield Town has prided itself for years and years on the Academy. But for whatever reason – and I take full responsibility – it’s not producing.
"We need to get that £1.2m and redirect it into what we think is the right way forward. There is no point at this football club in developing children from eight to 15.
"The way EPPP works, another club can come along and for the compensation – which is miniscule – pick your best assets up and move on. It’s just not right."