Man Utd search comes to an end with Premier League raid ‘close to completion’

Manchester United are closing in on the appointment of a new academy director, with Stephen Torpey set to make the move to Old Trafford from Premier League rivals Brentford

Manchester United are set to appoint a new academy chief after Nick Cox left to become technical director at Everton. Cox spent nine years as United’s director of academy and his departure was confirmed in June.

At the time, United hailed Cox for creating a “unique culture of excellence” within the academy setup and for leaving it in “excellent shape to continue attracting and developing world-class talent, and well-rounded young people”.

And according to a new report from the Manchester Evening News, United are now closing in on his replacement. The report states that Brentford’s academy director Stephen Torpey is on the verge of joining the club.

Torpey joined Brentford in January 2024, having previously spent time as Manchester City’s head of academy coaching and a lead foundation coach at Liverpool. During his time at City, Torpey was credited with helping develop the likes of Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and James McAtee.

He also worked closely with Jason Wilcox, who was City’s academy director and is now United’s director of football. In an interview with the Times earlier this year, Torpey explained his philosophy.

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“We invite parents in to speak with our under-18s,” he said. “There’s a young player who’s on the brink of becoming a professional, but he’s still a minor.

“We ask them and say, ‘How do you want this to go? Do you want Mum and Dad to be present as you’re about to enter into the B team, or would you like to start to take this upon yourself? Because at some point you might have to have a conversation with Thomas Frank and I don’t think you could invite Mum and Dad. You’re at work.’

“It’s about being realistic, but also picking the right moment for the right individual as well and not making it, ‘You are now 16 — no more parents’, because there might be someone who’s quite timid. There also might be someone who’s very mature and ready for that.

“When you see players walk out for the first-team and you’ve worked with them from the very earliest ages, they feel like one of your own. There’s no better feeling for a fan than to watch one of your own.

“I think that’s the challenge here: to try and create that same special feeling for our fans when they see one of our local players run out at the Gtech and play in the Premier League and represent the club that they love.”

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