Omari Forson's 'exceptional' trait that sends message to Manchester United academy hopefuls

Omari Forson’s journey to the Manchester United first team serves as a reminder to the club’s young players that it is not always straightforward and shows how important resilience is, according to head of academy Nick Cox.

The 19-year-old was selected in the starting line-up for the first time by Erik ten Hag as United took on Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. His first start came just a couple of months after he made his first team debut in the FA Cup.

The teenager also came off the bench and provided an assist for Kobbie Mainoo’s late goal against Wolves at the start of the month. He has been an unused substitute for the last three Premier League games but the absence of Rasmus Hojlund saw him given a chance from the start against Fulham.

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Forson is the latest in a long line of United academy graduates to make his way into the first team. But, speaking after the forward's FA Cup debut, academy chief Cox looked back on the youngster’s journey and highlighted the importance of resilience and bouncing back from setbacks.

"Omari joined our Under-15 age group from Tottenham Hotspur. Relocating from London to Manchester at a young age isn’t easy and a great deal of support was required to ensure that he had the appropriate programme in place; induction to the club, accommodation, transport, family support and more," Cox told the club’s website back in January.

"On the pitch he was part of our successful FA Youth Cup-winning squad in 2022. Interestingly, Omari didn’t feature heavily in the cup run but showed exceptional resilience, and that’s a reminder that the journey isn’t always