Match-going Man Utd supporters stand up amid influencer noise with Ruben Amorim given sneak peek

Aadam Haladh
Man Utd fans
Man Utd fans

Manchester United‘s Under-21s were in action on Tuesday night at the John Smith’s Stadium, where they were beaten comfortably by Huddersfield Town in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. It was quite literally men against boys in Town’s 4-1 triumph, but what should illicit most United pride is the vocal away crowd that turned out to support their next generation.

Almost 600 fans made the short trip over from Manchester, singing loud and proud all night, enjoying friendly song exchanges with the youthful Town support to the left of the away end.

United have long packed out allocations across the country and Europe, and though the away stand wasn’t quite full on Tuesday night, those that made the journey deserve some credit.

For many, it was an opportunity to get their weekly football fix with the senior team out of action at the weekend due to the international break. For those much younger, an opportunity to know what it feels like to travel and support their team where tickets are far easier, and cheaper, to buy in comparison to senior games.

It may come as a surprise to many, but United fans travelling to support the youngsters is nothing new. They did just that earlier this season in the same competition when the Under-21s played away at Barnsley. Don’t forget, Old Trafford was filled with 67,000 fans in 2022 when the Under-18s were crowned FA Youth Cup winners after beating Nottingham Forest.

On that particular day, the United faithful saw a glimpse of their future, with two young lads called Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo both standing out on the night. Fast-forward two years and they guided the senior team to FA Cup success, both netting at Wembley in May.

The club’s Carrington academy base has long been a talent factory for the youth; the carousel has churned out stars like Marcus Rashford in recent years. And if Gary Neville didn’t mention it enough, the Class of ’92 also came through the same system.

Habeeb Ogunneye, Jayce Fitzgerald and Harry Amass, all of whom were involved against Huddersfield, have enjoyed some degree of involvement with the first team in the last 12 months.

On the final whistle, the defeated youngsters trudged over to applaud those that came out to support them. There’s no guarantee, but those who go on to enjoy a career at United will quickly learn that the away support will always do exactly what it says on the tin: support.

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The era of social media has given a platform to YouTubers and influencers who find it easy to hurl abuse at players and spark narratives which are backed by their thousands of followers. Garnacho faced exactly that scenario ahead of last week’s clash against PAOK in the Europa League when a fan was heard giving the Argentina international advice on what he should be doing on the pitch, all while streaming his footage.

Garnacho was then visibly subdued in his celebration of a goal against Leicester, with captain Bruno Fernandes later revealing that the 20-year-old felt he had lost the support of some of the fans.

This came despite the Old Trafford crowd being vocal in their efforts to get behind the winger, who has adopted club legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Viva Ronaldo’ song. The 593 at Huddersfield could be heard singing ‘Viva Garnacho’ on Tuesday night too. A youngster who joined from Spain during the Covid lockdown will have learned a lot about United’s real fanbase this week.

United are now onto their sixth permanent manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in Ruben Amorim. All five of his predecessors would probably be in agreement that the only thing they received from match-goers was support.

The culture around United’s fanbase is stark compared to other clubs. Booing performances at half-time and full-time has slowly crept into Old Trafford in recent years, but managers have been supported until their final day.

Jose Mourinho, a man who destroyed any semblance of dressing-room harmony, was supported until the very end. The Portuguese manager’s name was even sung at Old Trafford when he returned to the ground at a later date while on punditry duty with Sky Sports. Everybody had their own opinion on the recently sacked Erik ten Hag, but he too was backed by the fans until his final day.

If the incoming Amorim wants to know what to expect from match-going United fans, he would only have to watch the highlights of the Under 21s clash and note something other than the return of Tyrell Malacia.

Manchester United