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Man Utd Poach 5 Huddersfield Prospects After Youth Academy Is Scrapped in West Yorkshire

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Huddersfield Town's decision to scrap youth teams from Under-16 level down has left many football fans scratching their heads. However, Premier League giants Manchester United have wasted no time in snapping up five young prospects from the Huddersfield academy, according to the Daily Mail.

Huddersfield Town decided to overhaul their youth system after they found difficulty in meeting Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) regulations. The regulations were introduced in October 2011 and because a number of big clubs are local to Huddersfield, the Terriers have found that finding appropriate youth players has been challenging. 

"Our academy system must provide a strong and obvious pathway to the first team for players who are good enough, whilst also representing value for the club. Upon review, this is not something that we could claim," said Huddersfield chairman Dean Hoyle.

"This decision has been the biggest we have undertaken in my time as chairman, and not an easy one. However, we cannot be afraid of change. This is a vital area to the long-term success of this club and we must make every effort to get this right."

Manchester United have done brilliant work with young players over the last few years. Not only has Marcus Rashford gone on to become one of the hottest prospects in world football, but the likes of Angel Gomes, Axel Tuanzebe, Josh Harrop (now at Preston North End) and Scott McTominay have all been given first-team opportunities under José Mourinho.