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Stephen Torpey has revealed his exciting plans for Manchester United’s youth academy following his appointment as head of the academy.
Torpey joins United
In September, United officially announced that Torpey had been appointed to the role, succeeding Nick Cox, who left to take up a new position at Everton.
United lured Torpey away from Premier League rivals Brentford, where he gained a stellar reputation for rebuilding the club’s youth structure, including relaunching their academy from Under-9s to Under-18s.
Torpey has also worked in various youth coaching roles at Manchester City and in the starting stages at Liverpool.
He worked closely with Jason Wilcox during his time at Etihad.
In his first conversation with United mediaTorpey revealed his immense pride in becoming head of the academy and playing his part in furthering the club’s rich tradition of nurturing talent.
He also revealed what he wants to do for the academy during his tenure.
Torpey’s unified vision
Asked what the future of United’s academy looks like under him, Torpey said: “It’s still early days for me, but at the end of the day we have to maintain everything that has happened in the past and maintain the high level of performance and development of our young players. And this is an institution. This is world famous. It’s almost that privilege and that moment to pinch yourself to be here and talk about this.”
“But at the same time we have to take all these things from the historical upbringing and the way Manchester United is and what it represents, take all those great things, improve them further if we can, and do more of them in terms of our welcoming nature to the young players.”
“But also looking at things that are going to make us even better, you know, and how can we make them better? It goes back to that critical thinking and asking the right questions and developing certain areas.”
He continued: “The most important thing is that we now have a first-team environment that is world-class. And we have to do the same. It’s very good where we are now. And it has served us well, but we also have to create something that is world-class and innovative and gives us the space and the technology that will allow us to do an even better job in the modern era.”
“Then we just look at our processes from a development point of view and try to incorporate all those experiences we talked about earlier, those years in different places.”
“The innovation for us right now is primarily in facilities. But we need to understand what we want to do in the future and why we want to do it. We have a fantastic workforce. We need to make sure they don’t have their hands tied behind their backs in the modern development landscape.”
“So that’s important for us now, to look at that, to evaluate and then implement a fantastic new facility that’s going to help us continue our work for the long term and for the next 10, 15, 20 years of youth development at this football club.”
“Hopefully this will help us to bring more players into the Manchester United first team.”
Torpey further explained: “I know this is Manchester United, we have done great things in the youth ranks, but I feel it is now my duty to continue that. You know, I heard that my predecessor, Nick [Cox]talking about passing the baton, and I believe in that.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to do the tours of Old Trafford and Littleton Road and The Cliff and realize the heritage, you know, and I have to thank [club historian] Jason Leach, for showing me around and showing me the ropes.
“What it made me realize was that this club is built on innovation and a real belief in youth and the courage to implement youth and look after the club, really taking advantage of the youth that we had and that privilege that I feel now.”
“That pressure just comes from the sustainability of it and creating young players who are ready for the first team. You know, we don’t want it to be a symbolic gesture, that we have players in our first team because we want to maintain a tradition.”
“We want players who are ready, who can make an impact, who can make our first team better and, most importantly, who our fans can be proud of.”
“You know, I really believe that. I’ve now been fortunate enough to see players I’ve worked with over the years represent their country, represent the club, win the best trophies. And there’s no greater feeling than seeing one of yours step out.”
Torpey noted that he is not one to shy away from pressure, and made it clear that he embraces it.
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