Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was impressed by youngster Jacob Devaney in the 3-1 defeat to Wrexham on Saturday. United began their pre-season schedule against the Welsh club, and Carrick made wholesale changes at half-time, replacing senior players with an academy XI for the second half.
Devaney Shines Out of Position
Devaney, a natural midfielder, played at centre-back and emerged with his reputation enhanced. The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with St Mirren, where he excelled and helped the club maintain their Scottish top-flight status. He started both relegation play-off matches, meaning he started all but two games during his time in Scotland.
Carrick liked what he saw from United's youngsters against Wrexham but singled out Devaney for praise. "I was really pleased with the second-half team," he told MUTV. "I thought they controlled the game really well against a team that's not easy to play against, and makes you work for it, and they can play long into. I thought that, in general, the boys took responsibility and showed their quality. Again, that final bit of trying to break down a lot of bodies behind the ball, at this stage of pre-season it's not easy to find that sharpness. I think they can really be proud of themselves."
Carrick's Verdict on Devaney
"JD playing centre-half, it's not natural to him, he's played there a little bit, but not a lot and I thought he did ever so well. He had a really successful few months up there [in Scotland] and it was good to see him kind of take that next step. And you could see today the confidence and the assurance in his game, even though he was playing a slightly different position. He was vocal, he was commanding and, yeah, I liked a lot of what he did there," Carrick added.
Tyler Fletcher Captains Youth Side
Tyler Fletcher captained the youthful United team in the second half. The young midfielder received a late call-up to Scotland's squad for the World Cup but has already reported back to Carrington for pre-season. "He's had an eventful three or four months, really," said Carrick. "He had a couple of weeks off [after the World Cup]. He didn't want long off. He wanted to get back into it, and again, I think he stepped into the game and took that responsibility. He led the team in the second half really well."
