Manchester United have released a statement on the success of their academy - just days after Cristiano Ronaldo slammed the club's youngsters.
Ronaldo, 37, told Piers Morgan that today's young footballers "don't suffer", "don't care" and have it "more easily" than he did 20 years ago. The Portugal international was referring to "all teams" - yet his comments still appear to have struck a chord with United.
Within 12 hours of Ronaldo's brutal bombshell, the Red Devils published an article on their official website that claimed their academy is one of the most productive in the country. The statement is based on new information published by the Premier League.
As per the article, United's academy has been consistently ranked as the most productive in England for the last decade. This information has come from a review of the Premier League's 'Elite Player Performance Plan' - which has been shared with the public.
United are extremely proud of their academy, which makes Ronaldo's comments all the more sour. "I don’t think that word [respect] is the best one, they live in a different era," said Ronaldo. "I can see with my kid, who is 12 years old, the mentality is not the same."
Ronaldo added: "The hunger. They [the young players] have things more easily. Everything is easy. They don’t suffer, they don’t care. I don’t mean just Man United, but all teams. They are not the same as my generation. But we cannot blame them."
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Ronaldo went on to highlight the influence of the likes of Rudd van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand on his career before adding: "They are not going to have longevity in their careers. It is impossible. My generation you see players at 36, 37, 38 playing at a high level."
Every United matchday squad for the last 85 years has featured at lease one academy graduate, a record that no club in England can match. They've also won the FA Youth Cup a record 11 times - including in May after a 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest.
Several legends have graduated from United's academy - including David Beckham, George Best, Wes Brown, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Bobby Charlton, Duncan Edwards, Darren Fletcher, Johnny Giles, Mark Hughes, Paul Pogba, and Marcus Rashford.
"To be officially recognised as the most productive academy since the inception of EPPP means a great deal to all of the staff here, as we continue a legacy of youth development that has thrived here throughout the last 85 years," said United's head of academy Nick Cox.
"The last 10 years has seen the academy go from strength to strength. Our youth development system has changed a great deal during this period, modernising and adapting, while remaining true to our historic principles that have enabled this institution to build an unrivalled record of developing players for the first team.
"The EPPP programme has played an important role in the last decade of this process and we are grateful for the support and platform that the system and Premier League has given to youth developers across the country.
"We welcome the beginning of a new era for EPPP, with a renewed focus on enriching the lives of the young boys within our care. These values are very much akin to our philosophy, and we are delighted to have played a role in shaping the next stage of the programme, which we know will continue to benefit children across the country."
