Man Utd's kids welcome Carrick's youth commitment

[Getty Images]Manchester United boss Michael Carrick was watching academy training sessions at Carrington the week before the senior players returned for pre-season training.

>There has been a renewed commitment to youth development at United on and off the pitch in recent months.

>Off it, they are reinforcing their talent pool by committing £8m to bring in promising England youth international Tynan Thompson from Tottenham.

>On it, Carrick, whose son Jacey has been confirmed as a first-year scholar this season, has been spending time assessing the development of players at under-21 and under-18 level.

>In Helsinki on Saturday, he fielded an entirely academy-produced side in the second half of the pre-season game against Wrexham and roughly the same group of players will be involved against Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday.

>"It's really important," said Jacob Devaney, who skippered United's Under-21s last season before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren.

>"We speak about it as a group. It's great to have Michael there at the games, and even when we were in training a week before the first team, I think he was out at every session with the staff.

>"It's nice that he has knowledge of what you're doing and he's obviously not afraid to throw the youth in. He's shown that last year.

>"It's positive to have someone like him in the building."