Jack Fletcher Joins Manchester United Squad Amid Injury to Kobbie Mainoo

Jack Fletcher has been included in Manchester United’s squad for the upcoming Premier League match against Tottenham, following the injury of Kobbie Mainoo. This decision ensures the club maintains its impressive 88-year streak of having an academy product in every matchday squad.

Mainoo, a 20-year-old midfielder, did not travel with the team to London and is reported to have sustained a minor injury.

Eighteen-year-old Jack Fletcher, an England youth international and son of former United midfielder and current Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher, has been called up to join the squad. Despite not yet making his senior debut for United, Fletcher has been on the first team bench several times during the last season.

He and his twin brother, Tyler, transitioned to Manchester United from Manchester City’s academy in 2023. Jack has also been selected for England’s Under-19 team for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers in Lithuania, where he may face his brother Tyler, who is part of Scotland’s squad.

For the past four matches, Mainoo has been the sole academy graduate included in United’s squad. Although goalkeeper Tom Heaton is an academy product, he is currently the third-choice keeper behind Altay Bayındır and Senne Lammens.

Tyler Fredricson, another academy graduate from Stockport, has also featured this season, starting in the EFL Cup defeat against Grimsby.

Manchester United prides itself on its record of including at least one homegrown player in every matchday squad since 1937, a remarkable streak that has surpassed 4,000 consecutive games. This tradition began on October 30, 1937, with Tom Manley and Jack Wassall participating in a match against Fulham.

According to the club, a homegrown player is defined as someone who signed with United before turning 21 and has not played for any other senior team, having also played for a junior team at the club.

Coach Ruben Amorim has expressed his commitment to preserving this legacy, stating he would not be the one to break the longstanding record. However, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently voiced concerns over the academy’s standards, suggesting they have significantly declined.