Manchester United U21s: Where are the class of 2014 now?

I take a look at how the careers have progressed of the former Red Devil academy prodigies.

By Niall Griffiths

Image from fourfourtwo.com

The Match:

On April 14, 2014, Manchester United's U21 team secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur's U21 side at White Hart Lane in a Barclays Under-21 Premier League match. The only goal of the game came in the 58th minute when James Wilson capitalized on a loose ball in the penalty area, turning and firing a low shot past Spurs goalkeeper Jordan Archer into the bottom corner of the net .(Tottenham Hotspur)

The match was summed up by limited scoring opportunities. Tottenham's Souleymane Coulibaly had an early goal ruled out for offside in the fourth minute. Josh Onomah tested United's goalkeeper Ben Amos with a low shot towards the near post, while Zeki Fryers cleared a dangerous free-kick from Andreas Pereira at the other end.

(Tottenham Hotspur)

Manchester United's lineup featured several notable players, including James Wilson, Andreas Pereira, and Guillermo Varela. The match was also significant for Tottenham, as Mousa Dembélé made a return to action after missing the team's last two Premier League games, playing the full 90 minutes in midfield.

Despite the limited number of chances, the match was a test of resilience and composure, with United's solitary goal proving sufficient to claim the three points.

The United Squad

Ben Amos - Port Vale

Amos was at United from the age of 11 until he was 25 when he joined Bolton. He went on to play for Charlton and Wigan permanently before joining Port Vale last summer. Vale boss Darren Moore said when Amos signed that he would compete for the starting position with Goalkeeper Connor Ripley. However, Ripley's January move to Swindon Town resulted in Amos becoming the first choice keeper at Vale Park, with the 35 year old playing 28 games in all competitions between then and the end of the season as his side finished second in the League Two table.

Reece James - Rotherham United

James joined Wigan from United in 2015 where he spent four years, making 48 appearances. He went on to have notable spells at Sunderland and Doncaster, spending two years at the latter. Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday were to follow before he became part of Steve Evans’ spending spree last summer following his re-appointment at Rotherham. He made 43 league appearances for the Millers this season as they finished 13th in League One.

Charni Ekangamene - Berchem Sport

Charni joined United at 16 years old from Royal Antwerp. He left in 2014 to sign for Zulte Waregem where he played 16 times in his debut season. He has since played in the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Gibraltar as well as a whole host of Belgian clubs before joining Berchem Sport in 2023, who play in the fourth tier of Belgian football.

Paddy McNair - West Brom (loan from San Diego Fc)

Mcnair played 24 league games for United before leaving in 2016 to join Sunderland. His time at the Stadium of Light was not one to remember however, having being part of the side who faced double relegation to League One. He then moved to Middlesbrough where he spent six years, playing 198 times for the Boro before joining San Diego on a free last summer, where he has started every one of his ten games so far.

Guillermo Varela - Flamengo

Varela joined United from Penarol as David Moyes first signing for the Reds. The Uruguayan spent 4 years at United, making just four Premier League appearances, before returning to his boyhood club. He has 22 caps for Uruguay and now plays for Flamengo in Brazil, for whom he has played just 18 games in three years, after spells in Copenhagen and Moscow.

Ben Pearson - Stoke City

Pearson swapped Manchester for Preston when he joined North End in 2016. He played 158 times before being snapped up by Premier League Bournemouth, where he played just seven games in the top flight. He now finds himself in Stoke where he’s been since 2023 after a successful loan spell the previous year.

Louis Rowley - Retired

Rowley played in the Academies of Manchester United and Leicester City before retiring from football to become an accountant at the age of 21.

Joe Rothwell - Leeds United (loan from Bournemouth)

Rothwell turned down a contract at United to join Oxford in 2016. After a successful spell at the Kassam Stadium, Blackburn bought him in the summer of 2018. Four seasons and 149 appearances later, he joined Bournemouth on a free transfer in June 2022 where he appeared in the PL for the Cherries. His most recent loan spell was with Leeds United, where he achieved promotion from the Championship for the Second season in a row following his Play-off success with Southampton the season prior.

Andreas Pereira - Fulham

Belgian born Brazilian international Pereira joined the United academy from PSV. He spent 11 years in Manchester, playing 45 times for the first team. After loan spells at Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo, he left the Red Devils in 2022 to sign for Fulham where he has made 101 appearances in a successful spell thus far.

Saidy Janko - Young Boys

Janko spent two years in Manchester after joining from FC Zurich. He went on to sign for Celtic in 2015 before spells with Saint-Etienne, Porto and Real Vallodolid. He has 7 caps for the Gambia, qualifying to represent them through his Gambian father. He is currently into his second spell at Young Boys, after spending the 2019-20 season on loan at the Swiss giants.

James Wilson - Northampton Town

When Wilson scored two goals on his Premier League debut, it was thought that he was destined for success and was already being dubbed as the next big thing. A fairly uninspiring EFL career would follow, with him joining Northampton from Port Vale last summer after scoring 23 goals in 85 starts for the vale. Since joining Northampton, Wilson played nine League Two games as his side finished 19th, five points above the drop zone.