Manchester United have completed the signing of goalkeeper Solomon Honor from Championship side Blackburn Rovers, with the 19-year-old set to train with the club's Under-21s. Honor, who previously played for Manchester City's academy before moving to Blackburn as a teenager, made six appearances for Rovers' Under-21s this season.
Honor is expected to serve as a training goalkeeper, supplementing sessions for both the first team and academy, a practice United have employed previously. Stephen Torpey took over as head of the academy last summer following Nick Cox's departure, while Luke Fedorenko also left his role as head of academy recruitment. Torpey joined City in 2014 and rose to head of coaching for Under-15 to Under-23 age groups, overseeing several trophy wins.
United's Under-21s currently lead Premier League 2. Travis Binnion recently moved up to work with the first team, paving the way for Adam Lawrence to return to manage the Under-21s. Lawrence led the Under-18s to a treble in the 2023/24 season, winning two trophies at the expense of rivals City.
Since taking the reins, Michael Carrick has shown willingness to integrate academy talent into first-team preparations. The latest prospect to catch his eye is 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, who earned his first senior training call-up this week. Gabriel has recorded 14 goals in 19 Under-18 league appearances and started in both of United's FA Youth Cup victories this season.
Under-18s manager Darren Fletcher said the hype around Gabriel is deserved: 'He's a young lad with a massive sort of hype, you know there's a lot of noise around him and deservedly so because he's a real talented kid. He works hard.' Gabriel previously participated in sessions under former manager Ruben Amorim.
