Sheffield United academy link returns to spotlight with former Blades man set for huge Manchester United opportunity
Sheffield United academy link returns to spotlight with former Blades man set for huge Manchester United opportunity
Travis Binnion, the former Sheffield United youth coach, is set to be handed the chance to help steer Manchester United through their latest choppy waters after the decision to sack their manager earlier this week. The Premier League giants parted company with Ruben Amorim on Monday after 14 months in charge.
A lack of evolution and progress, rather than a power struggle at Old Trafford, led to Amorim's exit, club sources have told the Press Association , with former Red Devils midfielder Darren Fletcher placed in charge for Wednesday's trip to Burnley.
"With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club's leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change," the club said in a statement. "This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish."
And Fletcher could be joined in the dugout at Turf Moor by a familiar face to some Unitedites who followed the fortunes of the Blades’ youth sides back in the day, in the shape of Binnion.
Sheffield United academy link returns to spotlight with former Blades man set for huge Manchester United opportunity
A former Blades player, Binnion returned to United as part of the youth set-up and worked with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and David Brooks in the fabled Blades academy before moving on in 2019 and subsequently being appointed as the Red Devils’ head of player development.
He has since progressed to U18 and now U21 manager, and is expected to form part of Fletcher’s interim staff as the hierarchy search for a replacement for Amorim.
Speaking of his coaching philosophy during his time at United, Binnion told The Star: “We feel too many academies and too many players hit a ceiling because they’ve never been taken out of their comfort zone.
“You play on good pitches, with other good players but it’s too late by the time they realise they’ve not really been tested or pushed. So yes, academies can be too comfortable. But that’s something we’ve tried to address here.”