Jason Wilcox spotted with Manchester United's new appointment as Under

Jason Wilcox spotted with Manchester United's new appointment as Under-21s suffer defeat

Jason Wilcox and Stephen Torpey attended Oakwell Stadium as Man Utd U21s lost 5-2 to Barnsley in the EFL Trophy.

Darren Fletcher must burst with pride when he watches his twin sons, Jack and Tyler, play in the academy.

The 41-year-old was in attendance at Oakwell Stadium and had a perfect view of Jack's goal.

Chido Obi brilliantly won the ball from Vimal Yoganathan just outside the Barnsley penalty area, and Jack Fletcher pounced to finish into the right corner thanks to a slight deflection.

Fletcher scored an instinctive volley from 35 yards that dipped under the crossbar when he last played at Oakwell Stadium in 2024. His deflected goal may not have been as impressive, but they all count.

Manchester United signed the Fletcher twins for £1.25million from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The pair opted to move to United and are now pushing towards being involved with the first team.

United use the EFL trophy to give 'elite young players' the platform to perform in a more pressured environment which prepares them for the first team.

Travis Binnion named an Under-21 team that included players on the cusp of the first team against Barnsley, with Chido Obi, Shea Lacey, Tyler Fredricson and Diego Leon all starting.

Leon made his international debut for Paraguay during the international break. He said it was an "unforgettable night" but he was back down to earth starting in South Yorkshire a week later.

In August, there was a sense of frustration among academy staff that Leon had exclusively worked with the first team when he could have benefited from getting minutes in his legs during youth matches.

Leon made his first appearance for the academy in a friendly shortly afterwards. The 18-year-old is still very raw and needs time to adapt to English football after his summer window arrival from Cerro Porteno.

The Paraguay international struggled for the U21s against Liverpool and looked better against Barnsley, although he still has lots to learn, which was highlighted when he attempted to make an adventurous run through the middle of the pitch, only to be dispossessed in a dangerous area.

Binnion shook his head on the touchline. United signed Leon for £3.3m fee, rising to £7m with add-ons, because scouts believed he possesses first team potential, but he still needs to develop his game.

The U21 boss cut a frustrated figure again just before the interval when Barnsley were awarded a penalty after a foul from Dan Armer. Veteran striker David McGoldrick made no mistake from the spot.

Stephen Torpey sat alongside Jason Wilcox. The pair recently sat together at Old Trafford following Torpey's appointment as head of the academy (succeeding Nick Cox).

Torpey and Wilcox returned to the warmth during half-time while Darren Fletcher passed on tactical feedback to an analyst. Fletcher is the Under-18 manager, but had clearly spotted something.

It didn't take long for Barnsley to take the lead when play resumed. McGoldrick, 37, rolled back the years when finishing beyond Will Murdock again, although Obi produced an immediate response at the other end.

Lacey intelligently won the ball on the halfway line and slipped through a perfectly weighted pass to Obi, who found the net with a classy finish. "Chido, Chido, Chido," sang the small section of United fans.

However, former Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest striker McGoldrick wasn't done there and netted his hat-trick. Then Jack Fletcher was shown a red card in a bizarre incident with the referee.

It seemed Fletcher received his marching orders for dissent. Perhaps a strange decision, but his father might argue that there is a lesson to learn: you must control emotions on a football pitch.

Barnsley smelt blood after the sending off and scored another two goals to claim a 5-2 victory. Wilcox had seen enough with seven minutes remaining, but Torpey remained in the stands to see the game out.

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