Now that the Premier League has resumed, Manchester United is most likely not among the teams lamenting the September international break.

The Red Devils began the season with a well-deserved 1-0 victory against Fulham at home, but subsequent defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool have all but destroyed the optimism that had been building among the supporters.

Even though United’s recent performance hasn’t been ideal, the team was fairly successful during the summer transfer window, and fans should be excited about the addition of players like Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, and Manuel Ugarte.

Man-Utd-De-Ligt, Casemiro

Interestingly, though, sources suggest that the club might have included Adrien Rabiot, another experienced midfielder, in the mix; yet, given a gifted young player in the club’s academy, it may have been a wise decision to leave him out.

The most recent about Rabiot

After his contract with Juventus expired earlier this summer, Rabiot left the team and has since been connected to a number of teams, including United.

Adrien-Rabiot

Despite the fact that the news appeared once more after the transfer window ended, transfers specialist Fabrizio Romano has verified that, at this point, United has made it quite clear that they do not want to sign the Frenchman, even though they have been offered his services “several times over the summer.”

It is understandable why another team could be more interested in signing the 29-year-old, even though the Red Devils do not want to. He has demonstrated his experience at the top level with 227 matches for Paris Saint-Germain, 212 appearances for Juventus, and 48 appearances for the French national team throughout his career.

Even though he has a wealth of experience, his clubs have a reputation for suffering because of him. That’s not the distraction the club needs, especially because they may already have an academy player who can compete with an international, with Ten Hag already under a lot of pressure and Ratcliffe and Co. attempting to take the team in a different way.

Why Jack Fletcher’s fans should be thrilled

Yes, the player in issue is 17-year-old Jack Fletcher, who, together with his brother Tyler, transferred from Manchester City to the Red Devils’ youth team last summer.

The lad, who was born in Manchester, is a center midfielder by trade, just like his father, the legendary Darren Fletcher, who played 342 games for the team in the late glory years under Sir Alex Ferguson.

This may be one of the reasons the squad decided against signing Rabiot on a free transfer, since the Frenchman would only serve to obstruct the “marvellous” youthful talent’s path to first-team football, as journalist Nathan Salt put it.

Fletcher’s record as a United youngster

group

U18s

U21s

The UEFA Youth League

Looks

Thirteen

3.

1.

Objectives

1.

3.

0

Helps

4

2.

0

Goal Contributions Each Game

0.38

1.66

0.00

Every stat through Transfermarkt

In his 17 games for the various youth sides, the “brilliant” prospect—dubbed so by U23 scout Antonio Mango—looks ready to make a few senior appearances. He has four goals and six assists, meaning that he averages a goal involvement from attacking and central midfield areas once every 1.7 games.

His incredible strike against Barnsley’s U21 team last month proves that he has a great eye for goal and that, given the correct coaching, he might really help Ten Hag.

In the end, even though Fletcher won’t play a lot for the first team in the upcoming campaign, his performances with the junior teams provide ample proof that he has the potential to be something spectacular. It’s possible that some fans already have their own Rabiot coming up through the academy, even though they may have wanted Ratcliffe and Co. to sign him this summer.

Furthermore, Kobbie Mainoo’s quick ascent indicates that the team is prepared to offer young players a genuine shot to succeed in the Premier League.