Although Man United have always been famous for getting the younger players into the first team, the current pressure and atmosphere at Old Trafford means it’s unlikely that many youngsters will get a chance just now.
It means that a loan spell is often the best option, and you have to think that more players will go to Salford City now that they have established themselves as a Football League club.
Di’Shon Bernard has been a regular for the U23 team since joining the club but he’s reached that point where he needs to be playing senior football, so this looks like a good move for him:
#MUFC have loaned 20-year-old defender Di’Shon Bernard to Salford City until January. Bernard: "I’m really happy to be here, it’s a different experience for me, the first time I’ve been in men’s football & I just want to get going. It’s going to be much more challenging for me" pic.twitter.com/04RLIaVARd
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) October 16, 2020
The move comes at an interesting time because they’ve just sacked their manager and there could be some upheaval at the club if a new boss comes in, but Paul Scholes is in temporary charge and the links between the two clubs are obvious.
Bernard is a centre back who has been on the fringes of the first team setup at United, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.
It’s good for that.