Manchester United F.C. Reserves & Academy
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| Full name | Manchester United Football Club Under-23s |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Red Devils, United |
| Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath Reserves |
| Ground |
Leigh Sports Village Leigh |
| Capacity | 12,000 |
| Co-chairmen | Joel and Avram Glazer |
| Manager | Nicky Butt (interim) |
| League | Premier League 2 |
| 2016–17 | 6th |
| Website | Club home page |
Manchester United Football Club Under-23s is the most senior of Manchester United's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of the Professional Development League. The team is effectively Manchester United's second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2016–17 season, an increase from the age of 21 which was introduced in 2012–13.
They were champions of the former Premier Reserve League five times (in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2012) between its introduction in 1999 and its dissolution in 2012. The team also won the 2012–13 Professional U21 Development League 1 in its inaugural season. The team also participates in the Manchester Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup.
The team's manager is currently Nicky Butt, an academy graduate in the 1990s who played for United until 2004. Butt stood in for Warren Joyce on an interim basis when Joyce was appointed Wigan Athletic manager on 2 November 2016. Joyce, who took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager of the reserves in December 2010, was previously the manager of Royal Antwerp, Manchester United's feeder club in Belgium.
From November 2008 to August 2013, the team played its home matches at Moss Lane in Altrincham, the home of Altrincham F.C.. For the 2013–14 Under-21 Premier League season, the team has played the majority of its home matches at Salford City Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell. Since 2014–15, the team play its home matches at Leigh Sports Village. Rules set out by the Premier League state that at least three home league games must be played at the club's main stadium, Old Trafford. In previous seasons, the team has played at the Victoria Stadium, the home of Northwich Victoria, and Ewen Fields, the home of Hyde.
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