Following an outstanding 2023–24 season, Ethan Wheatley has been named Manchester United’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year.

The forward, who made his senior debut against Sheffield United in April and became our 250th Academy graduate, has been in excellent form for our Under-18s during their triumphant 2023–24 campaign.

After leading the U18 Premier League Cup final victory over Manchester City with two goals, Wheatley made his Reds first-team debut the next day.

The striker, who is from Stockport and has also played for the Under-21 team, was a key player in our young Reds’ victory in the U18 Premier League North, scoring numerous goals. Wheatley scored once more in the following national final at Stamford Bridge, as Adam Lawrence’s team defeated Chelsea, the southern champions, 2-1 to win yet another trophy.

Before our Premier League encounter against Newcastle at Old Trafford this evening (kickoff at 20:00 BST), Wheatley will get his Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year trophy.

Wheatley stated following his senior debut for the Reds: “It’s a fantastic club with a huge history, particularly in the Academy as well.

Just getting to make my debut is an honor. Furthermore, that 250 is really one additional bit.

Adam Lawrence, Colin Little, and virtually every member of the staff—even the analysts—have all supported me this season.

“It was a little hit-or-miss last season. Really, I didn’t get to grow as much as I would have liked. I was speaking with the coaches prior to the game, and this season I was able to stay on the field and work on using my body and all these little technical aspects as well.

“I feel like everything just came into place these last few weeks, and I’m feeling a lot more confident with the way I’m playing.”The Academy’s director, Nick Cox, stated:

“After representing the team to the best of his ability in six different tournaments this season, Ethan truly deserves this medal. With an astounding 14 goals to his credit on the field, he has performed admirably in every task that has been given to him. Off the field, he has excelled in his personal development program and outstanding academic results.

“Ethan has been improving all season long, putting a lot of effort into his training regimen, improving with every game, and growing stronger and stronger with patience and hard work. Ethan made his first-team debut last month, becoming the 250th Academy graduate to play for Manchester United, demonstrating the significant improvement he has made.

Our Under-18 team has performed admirably this year. It was very difficult to choose only one player to receive this award because winning the national championship after winning the Premier League Cup and the Premier League North Division is an incredible accomplishment. 

The group as a whole has shown a great deal of individual growth, which is a credit to Adam Lawrence, Colin Little, and the other members of the Professional Development Phase team.”Wheatley takes over our Young Player of the Year accolade from Kobbie Mainoo, a fellow Academy product who made his senior squad debut last season and is currently on the first team.

Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Ryan Giggs, and others are other noteworthy former recipients.

Ethan, congrats on your award!