United starlet Yuel Helafu lays down lofty ambition ahead of FA Youth Cup final | OneFootball

Manchester United talent Yuel Helafu has revealed he is looking to etch his name into the club’s history books when he and his teammates face Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup final on Thursday.

Helafu’s rise

Helafu joined United at the start of the season after impressing against the club’s developmental side with his grassroots team.

He caught the attention of United figures, who moved swiftly to sign him and add him to the academy ranks.

The defender has since featured prominently for the Under-18s under Darren Fletcher. Such has been the trajectory of Helafu’s development that he has also lined up for the Under-21s, despite being just 17.

Even more remarkably, Helafu has trained with the United first team this season, under both Ruben Amorim and interim head coach Michael Carrick.

The teenager spoke to club media ahead of the FA Cup youth final against City and revealed his desire to secure the victory and make history as the latest United side to bag the prestigious trophy.

Ambitious Helafu

The Yorkshire-born player said, “I’m a United fan so it means everything playing for this club. I hope to represent them in the first team in the coming years. Winning the FA Youth Cup will mean everything. Obviously, the club has a massive history of winning it and it will be the 12th time if we win it. Hopefully, I can be part of the FA Youth Cup history at Man United.”

“Even just wearing the suits [beforehand] is a good feeling. You look sharp, you look fresh.”

He said about the coaching staff, “I think they’ve definitely helped us to get to where we are now. The detail that they give to us in training and games, wherever it may be, they help us so much. And Fletch and Col [Colin Little] have both been footballers, so they know how hard it is and they give us the best detail possible to make us the best players.”

“He [Fletcher] will keep us calm. He’ll just make sure we’re ready for it because he knows, if we’re ready, then we can beat anyone.”

Asked about his performances this term, Helafu remarked, “I’m happy. I’m proud of where I’ve come to. I’ve had different experiences, playing with the Under-18s and the Under-21s, training with the first team. Yeah, it’s all helped me to become the player that I am now.”

“I’ve had a couple of positions. I think, when I first started out, I was like a winger and then I just got pushed about everywhere really – striker, winger. Eventually, when I was about 14, I played right-back in a couple of games and, from then, I just stayed there.”

“I think, personally, I’m like an inverted full-back. So I like to go inside, connect in the middle, and, like, control the game from a right-back position. But, as a right-back, you’ve got to have the complete package. So I want to do the inside or outside role and everything.”

He continued, “It was only last season when I became a proper inverted full-back, and then I’ve just taken it into this season and done well there. Obviously, you’ve got ones [right-backs] here that I can look up to.”

“Noussair Mazraoui, Diogo Dalot. And then you’ve got Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Achraf Hakimi. All very good right-backs and I’ve just learned from them.”

Carrick has made it a habit to watch youth games since his arrival at the club, and Helafu does not take his presence for granted.

“It gives us an added drive, knowing that the first-team boss is watching, because we want to impress him. And that’s where we want to get to in the future. So just give him good ideas about us.”

“I think we can all be proud of the season, definitely. But we want to show how good we’ve been with a trophy because, obviously, we lost in the Premier League Cup final, and I think winning the Youth Cup will be a statement of how much we’ve progressed and how good of a team we are.”

The FA Youth Cup final kicks off at 19:00 BST at the Joie Stadium.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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