Manchester United are preparing for future again with signing of 'wonderkid' Gabriele Biancheri

Manchester United recorded their lowest-ever Premier League points total last season but this failure did not extend to the club's industry-leading academy, which enjoyed an outstanding season with the Under-18s winning the FA Youth Cup.

A record-breaking 67,492 fans watched the U18s claim the Youth Cup trophy at Old Trafford in May and the Class of '22 wrote themselves into the history of the academy, alongside other graduates who have since forged impressive careers.

The academy has remained one of the best in Europe despite a tumultuous last decade for the club and the combination of excellent, dedicated coaches and having the foresight to bring talent in from elsewhere has been key in that.

ALSO READ: Glazer should be embarrassed by new United takeover development

Alejandro Garnacho contributed seven goals and three assists in the successful Youth Cup campaign last year, but he was born in Madrid, not Manchester, and he actually was signed from Atletico Madrid in September 2020 with a view to the future.

Prior to the signing of Garnacho, the academy also signed Marc Jurado from Barcelona, Alvaro Fernandez from Real Madrid and Isak Hansen-Aaroen in that summer, as the club's scouts looked to bring in some of Europe's best talent.

Those academy signings have been a success, as Jurado, Hansen-Aaroen and Garnacho were all instrumental in the Youth Cup triumph, with the latter becoming a first-team regular, whilst Fernandez is excelling on loan in the Championship.

It's a non-negotiable for the academy to develop talent from Greater Manchester, but it's also important for the club to look beyond that catchment area, which means scouting youth talent from clubs based all around the world.

Garnacho, who has surprised