Newcastle United have made an official announcement that should excite everyone connected with the club.
It’s not been a great few months for Newcastle United, with their naivety in the transfer market being ruthlessly exposed by the Premier League’s established elite.
Eddie Howe has watched on in despair as Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City have signed several of Newcastle’s top targets.
With the Alexander Isak saga also dragging on, Newcastle has been left scrambling to get the squad in condition for a gruelling domestic and Champions League campaign.
After so much has gone wrong, it’s been refreshing to see the club make what appears to be a fantastic decision this week.
The Under-21s have been without a lead manager since June, following Diarmuid O’Carroll’s departure for Sparta Prague, but the thorough recruitment process has yielded results.
It was announced on Wednesday that former Manchester United Under-18 boss Adam Lawrence has been recruited and the 39-year-old has a massive pedigree.
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Adam Lawrence is a brilliant appointment by Newcastle United
Adam Lawrence is an experienced youth coach, beginning his career at Millwall and Charlton before moving to Manchester United in 2021.
Starting with the Under-16s, Lawrence was promoted to Under-18s lead coach in July 2023 and enjoyed an incredible two years in charge.
His young United side won three trophies in his first season, claiming the U18 Premier League North, the U18 Premier League Cup and the U18 Premier League national final.
The following season, his side continued to impress and only lost one game in the league, though they finished second to Manchester City as they drew one more match.
Dan Coombs, editor of United in Focus, told Geordie Boot Boys: “Adam Lawrence had a near-perfect record as Manchester United under-18s coach, where he was incredibly highly rated.
“He won three trophies during his first full season at the club, and was one game away from winning the league again last season.
“Even though this season’s results have shown no drop-off, there is a concern that United have allowed a very talented coach to slip the net.”
Lawrence took charge of 56 matches at United U18s, winning 46 of them, with just five losses and five draws. His exciting side scored a massive 191 goals, while conceding just 64, and his point average was 2.55 per game.
Praise for Adam Lawrence from his former Man Utd players
Of course, while a nice bonus, winning games and trophies is not the chief concern of a youth coach, developing young talent is.
During his four years in Manchester, Lawrence played a big role in the development of several players, with some of the most notable names including:
- Harry Amass – Seven senior Man Utd appearances
- Chido Obi – Eight senior appearances
- Tyler Fredricson – Three senior appearances
- Ethan Wheatley – Four senior appearances, loan spells at Walsall and Northampton
- Gabriele Biancheri – Very highly rated, 26 goals in 40 games
- James Scanlon – Gibraltar international, made Man U bench
- Jack Fletcher – Named on bench
- Ethan Williams – Played senior football on loan at Cheltenham
- Amir Ibragimov – Highly rated winger
- JJ Gabriel – Exciting striker
Most importantly, the players enjoyed working with Lawrence and credit him for helping improve their game.
Speaking in April to ManUtd.com, Chido Obi said on Lawrence and Under-21 boss, Travis Binnion: “Trav and Adam have been really helpful.
“Every time I needed help, I spoke to them or called them [and] they gave me advice. When I play games, they sometimes take me to a meeting to show me what to do better, so it’s good.”
Amass added: “When I first signed, it was about developing as a player and getting better, it was about enjoying my football, which I’ve done with all the trophies and experiences in the Academy,” Amass said.
“Then it was about playing first-team, being around it, getting a chance, and that’s come as well, so I think all the reasons I signed have happened.
“There’s loads of people [I’d want to thank] but I’d shout out to both of my two main coaches.
“Adam Lawrence, when I first joined, him being from down south, there was that connection straight away, he made sure I was settled and was always someone I could go to if I needed something.
“And as I got more comfortable, he helped me on the pitch. In that first season in U18s I really excelled and a big part of that was him, always making sure I was doing the right stuff.”
If Lawrence can have the same impact in Newcastle’s academy, then we could be about to see much more young talent in the first team. It’s a prospect for fans to get giddy about.
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