TA: Menu will miss Tottenham due to injury, Manchester United urgently recruits Jack Fletcher to maintain the 88-year legendary record

November 8th The Athletic reported that Menu will miss Manchester United’s game against Tottenham due to injury. This is a pity for Menu who is eager for more playing time, but it may also have a more profound impact.

Since 1937, Manchester United has had youth players selected into the squad for 4,332 consecutive first-team games. This youth training bloodline has lasted for 88 years and has accompanied the team to win 44 important trophies.

But now Menu is a key link in maintaining this chain. Although he has always served as a substitute, he has become the only youth training representative on Manchester United's roster five times this season, including the last four consecutive games.

Tyler Fredrickson and Tom Heaton have also been included in the game squad several times, but have not appeared since the game against Brentford. This game marked the emergence of Lamenz as the new number one goalkeeper, with Bayendel relegated to the bench and Manchester United's abundant lineup limiting Frederiksen's opportunities.

Since the publication of Manchester United historian Tony Parker's 2013 book "Sons of Manchester United", this 88-year-old tradition has been cherished by the club. The Red Devils are now well aware of the threats to this historical record, so they have recruited 18-year-old Jack Fletcher to accompany the team to London this time.

Jack Fletcher transferred to Manchester United from Manchester City together with his twin brother Taylor Fletcher in July 2023, with a total transfer fee of 1.25 million pounds, and fully complied with the youth training standards set by Parker.

These criteria include: Manchester United must be the player's first professional team, join the club before the age of 18, and have represented the youth team.

Jack Fletcher happens to be the son of Darren Fletcher, the darling of Old Trafford. This meritorious player from Manchester United's youth training has won 9 important honors including 6 league championships and 1 Champions League. He is currently the head coach of the club's U18 echelon.

The selection of Jack Fletcher will continue Manchester United's incredible record. However, with Rashford, McTominay and Garnacho leaving the team one after another after 2024, this inheritance line is on the verge of breaking.

Coach Amorim also clearly realizes that this tradition is a symbol of Manchester United's youth training system. He said: "We want to maintain this tradition, and I don't want to be the person who ends this record or concept. Looking back at the history of Manchester United, it was built by the children who have grown up here for a long time. This should be our future goal, and I will definitely work hard to maintain this tradition."

This record has been on the verge of interruption before, most recently during Sir Alex Ferguson's coaching period in March 1992. Clayton Blackmore was the only academy player in Ferguson's squad against Sheffield United.

As Ferguson allowed Manchester United's youth training system to flourish, Class 92 became the backbone of the team in the following nearly two decades, and this statistic continued.

Menu's injury is described as minor and he may be able to return to the lineup soon, but his long-term future is uncertain. This record that makes Manchester United unique in world football also has an uncertain future.