Man Utd seal signing days after window shuts as ex-City talent joins | Football | Sport

Manchester United have secured the signing of young goalkeeper Solomon Honor from Championship side Blackburn Rovers, with plans for him to train with the Under-21s. The 19-year-old, who previously played for Manchester City’s academy before moving to Blackburn as a teenager, has made six appearances for Rovers’ under-21s this season.

Honor is expected to serve as a training goalkeeper, supplementing sessions between the posts. This practice isn’t new to United, who have utilised training goalkeepers in the past to aid both the first-team and academy squads. Stephen Torpey took over as head of United’s academy last summer following Nick Cox’s departure. Luke Fedorenko, formerly head of academy recruitment, also announced his exit shortly after Cox.

Torpey joined City in 2014 and gradually climbed the ranks within their academy, eventually becoming the head of coaching for the Under-15 to Under-23 age groups, during which time he oversaw several trophy wins.

United’s U21s currently lead the Premier League 2. Travis Binnion recently moved up to work with the first team, paving the way for Adam Lawrence to return to the club to manage the U21s.

Lawrence led United’s Under-18s to a treble in the 2023/24 season, clinching two trophies at the expense of rivals City. He is now assisting with the development of the under-21s for the remainder of the campaign.

Despite competing against players up to three years his senior, Gabriel has been a standout performer, starting in both of United’s FA Youth Cup victories this season. He has recorded 14 goals in 19 Under-18 league appearances.

Gabriel is no stranger to the senior setup, having participated in several sessions under former manager Ruben Amorim prior to his departure.

Under-18s manager and ex-interim United boss Darren Fletcher previously said that the hype around the teenager is ‘deserved’. “JJ is a fantastic talent,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed working with him immensely, getting to know him. He’s a young lad with a massive sort of hype, you know there’s a lot of noise around him and deservedly so because he’s a real talented kid.

“He works hard. First thing I’d say is he loves football. He loves training, he loves playing, he loves having the ball, he loves expressing himself. He makes fantastic decisions.”