Former Manchester United reserve team manager Warren Joyce is plotting an FA Youth Cup upset when he returns to Old Trafford with Nottingham Forest tonight.
The Red Devils’ under-18 side will appear in the final for the first time since 2011 when they take on Forest with an expected record crowd in attendance.
When United last made it this far Joyce was part of the coaching setup and helped lead them to victory, but this time he will be in the opposition dugout.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “We’re coming to one of the biggest clubs in the world, with their own fans on their own ground with everything loaded against us.
“They’ve got some very good players. A host of good players. We can only worry about ourselves. We’ve played City recently, beat them, Liverpool recently, beat them, Chelsea recently, beat them.”
Joyce’s record in developing youth players is impressive and many of the catalysts in the 2011 triumph have gone on to have illustrious careers in the game.
Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba are the two notable names who have since made over 200 first-team appearances for the club.
While the under-18’s at United have had a turbulent time since, current manager Travis Binnion has been a revelation after taking charge last year.
When asked about his team’s chances, he said: “They’ve been at it for a good 10-12 weeks, in terms of seeing a noticeable change in the intensity, them realising what they’ve got to do to win and get in the team.”
One player in the United side to keep an eye on is 17-year-old Alejandro Garnacho who has recently made his first team debut and been called up by Argentina.
Kick off is at 7.30pm and you can watch the game live on MUTV or for free on The FA Player.
