Manchester United teenager close to first-team breakthrough after loan spell

'We noticed' - Manchester United teenager close to first-team breakthrough after loan spell

Teenage goalkeeper Elyh Harrison enjoyed a productive spell on loan at Chester earlier this season and is now training with the Man Utd first team.

Dermot Mee, Elyh Harrison and Andre Onana walk out at the King Power Stadium

Elyh Harrison started this season in goal for National League North side Chester City but now finds himself one injury away from playing for Manchester United.

That almost came to pass for the 19-year-old last weekend, when illness came close to ruling Andre Onana out of the win at Leicester City. In the end, Harrison and 22-year-old Dermot Mee were unused substitutes as Onana came through the full game.

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Harrison has been on the bench for both legs of the Europa League last-16 success against Real Sociedad and for the last six Premier League fixtures. Having been recalled from his impressive loan spell in January to get a taste of first-team training at Carrington, he has jumped the queue after injuries to Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton.

Onana has stayed fit and United haven't yet had to throw a young goalkeeper into the big time, but under-21s goalkeeping coach Tommy Lee believes Harrison has improved significantly for his first exposure to senior football earlier this season, playing 18 times for Chester.

"In Elyh's case, it was the challenge he needed at that time. He was playing really well for the Under-21s but needed a different challenge and perhaps it was more psychological and social as well," Lee told United's website.

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"Going to Chester, a really well-run football club, as far as I can tell, and working for a manager [Calum McIntyre] who was formerly at the club and a really good manager, and Neil [Ebbrell], the goalkeeping coach, who knows the game. So it was a really good one to start his senior career off, if you like.

"It's a different kind of pressure. We can provide a challenge in the academy system but to go to a senior team, like I say, their manager isn't necessarily focused on development. He needs to win games.

"There is perceived pressure of making a mistake and maybe not playing the game after. There is playing in front of a crowd, dealing when the atmosphere can get a bit tense and it's something we can't provide in academy football."

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Harrison also went from playing youth football where results aren't always as important as performances to being chucked into a senior dressing room where it is the three points that count every week and win bonuses can often be on the line.

Lee noticed the young goalkeeper come out of a shell as a result of that and his confidence has manifested itself on the pitch as well, with United coaches seeing clear improvements.

"From the social side of things, I think that was a really big one for him as well," added Lee. "Being able to cope in a senior dressing room and also perform. Their team-mates just want a goalkeeper who is going to help them win on a Saturday. And that brings its own challenge as well.

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"I think the one thing we've probably noticed in this specific case was he was more assertive after a period of time and, when we reviewed games with him and he did his analysis with the first team, he was definitely a lot more assertive and more confident in himself, when talking about the game. You know that's just a little thing but it will be really important as Elyh progresses through and gets to where we think his talent can take him."

United have made a habit of sending their young goalkeepers on loan to non-league clubs to develop and Lee is hoping it is a policy that will continue to pay off this season.

"We want the young lads on work-experience loans because we want them to experience a different type of football," said Lee.

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"We want to find out if they can play to a game-plan, which might be different to the one we'd ask them to play to in the academy, with the under-18s and under-21s. It all builds into the repertoire of who can handle the pressure in senior football.

"That is also what non-league loans can do for goalkeepers specifically because, more broadly speaking, I think three of the four goalkeepers in the England squad currently started their careers in non-league.

"This season, Tom Wooster has been to Farsley, Tom Myles has been to Runcorn Linnets. They're going to really good football people who understand the game and can offer an opportunity and a chance for these lads to develop, which is invaluable to us.

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"The record here is good and our job is to continue that. Our ultimate aim is to try to help give an opportunity to a goalkeeper to reach and play for our first team. But, if we can't achieve that, we want to help goalkeepers have professional careers up and down the league - from the Premier League to the non-league."

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