Bet they had a good school football team !

[PadihamThickNeck]

Timothy Fosu Mensah (Bayern Leverkusen)
Jimmy Dunne (QPR & of corse an ex claret)
Axel Tuanzebe (Villa on Loan from Man Utd)
Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)

[2 Bee Holed]

United have been sending youngsters to this school for ages.
The Academy kids were at this school, when I training to be a teacher there in the 1990's.
It's quite near their training ground.
I don't recall them being allowed to play for the school team.

[Oscar]

My son attended this school. Can confirm that during his time there, there was 1 player who was a local boy who played for the school team for a couple of years but once they got to 13/14 they did I play again. The players who came because they were at United and lived with local families didn’t play at all.

[ChrisG]

When I was at school, there was a lad called Andy Bell (Norman's lad) who was the England schoolboy captain, and he was on Rover's books. He wasn't allowed to play for our school team.

Ironically, his career fizzled out fairly early. Meanwhile his replacement in our team (I was the keeper) that won the Blackburn & Darwen cup, Chris Porter, is still playing professionaly now.

[evensteadiereddie]

From my experience as a teacher in Staffordshire until a few years back, a player signed to a league club was barred from playing school or local league football. Protecting their asset from injury and mediocre coaching, I guess.

[PadihamThickNeck]

From my experience as a teacher in Staffordshire until a few years back, a player signed to a league club was barred from playing school or local league football. Protecting their asset from injury and mediocre coaching, I guess.

That’s a load of rubbish was plenty of lads from Teds who played for the school team and played for league clubs, Oliver Norwood being one.

[evensteadiereddie]

It's not rubbish at all. How recently are you talking ?
I'm talking about three years ago - "a few years back" just in case you couldn't read that bit.
No way on earth would a club investing in a young player's career risk him in school or Sunday league football.