United boss Keith Curle on the search for a new Academy Manager
Manager Keith Curle confirmed today that the hunt for a new Academy Manager has reached the short-list stage as the club looks for replacements for outgoing coaches Alan Moore and Vince Overson.
“From the meeting with the players on Monday I went straight into the next meeting, which was for the short-listing of the candidates for the role of Academy Manager,” he explained. “It’s an important role because the youth of the club has to be our blood line and we want to see players come through and progress into the first team.
“We’ve drawn up the short-list and we are now doing some background checks, which should be completed over the next few days. What I will say is that the final decision on who gets the job is not mine alone.
“It’s a club decision and it will be done on who we think can take what is an important area of the club forward. What we don’t want is to employ mates or people who have to grow into the job. We want a person with clear credentials who can improve the youth department.”
“It’s no disgrace that we haven’t been able to sign any of the younger players this season,” he commented. “It’s my decision to make and it’s based on a number of factors. I believe that signing players who aren’t going to get game time can have a detrimental affect on their career.
“Arron Bradbury was very close but he now needs one or two years of playing football where he can get some statistics to back up the potential he has. What he doesn’t want to do is spend a year without game time.
“What we have to acknowledge is that we don’t have a full development programme in place at the club as yet. There isn’t an organised reserve team even though we do cover that with bounce games and friendly fixtures as and when we need them.
“It would be another step in our progression but first and foremost we had to look at and look after the first team. There were improvements needed in that area before we looked at anything else. We’re well on the way with that but we’re by no means the finished article.
“Once we get there we can look to making sure the development programme is put in place so we can maintain the development of young players in-house, rather than having to monitor them elsewhere.”
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