Man Utd complete the unlikeliest signing of the transfer window
Robin Bairner
- 4 Aug 2022 10:08 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United have completed the signing of former England international midfielder Tom Huddlestone, the 35-year-old has posted on Twitter.
Huddlestone spent last season playing with Championship outfit Hull City, where he made 11 league appearances over the course of the season.
He has, however, joined up at Old Trafford to work with the academy system and not as a legitimate option for the first team, where Frenkie de Jong is still being pursued as an option for the midfield.
Huddlestone announced the deal on Twitter, stating: “Over the moon to announce I have been given the opportunity at this amazing football club to help coach and develop the next generation of talent coming through the system.
“Grateful and honoured, now time to give back to the younger generation.”
Over the moon to announce I have been given the opportunity at this amazing football club to help coach and develop the next generation of talent coming through the system. Grateful and honoured , now time to give back to the younger generation #MUFC pic.twitter.com/ldOTZMK20u
— Tom Huddlestone (@Huddz8) August 3, 2022
Huddlestone started his career with Derby but made his name at Tottenham, where he spent eight seasons and made close to 150 Premier League appearances. From there, he moved to Hull in 2013 then back to Derby four years later. After another three campaigns at Pride Park, he switched back to the Tigers last summer before being given the chance to take his first steps in coaching at Old Trafford.
Why have Man Utd signed Tom Huddlestone?
Manchester United have made a habit of appointing a veteran player to help with their Under-21 squad in recent seasons.
Paul McShane was signed up to their youth system last season as an overaged player for the Under-23s while acting as a coach. When the former Republic of Ireland international retired at the end of the season, this opened the pathway for Huddlestone to step in.
A statement on the club’s official website states: “Huddlestone succeeds Paul McShane in his role, which provided significant performance and development benefits across the whole Academy last season.
“The experienced midfielder will create various unique development opportunities for United’s Academy players by coaching from within training sessions and driving daily standards on and off the pitch.
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“United’s next generation of Academy graduates will benefit from Huddlestone’s impressive knowledge and capabilities accumulated throughout his career, which has seen him make over 550 professional appearances, including 242 games in the Premier League.”
Man Utd also confirmed that Huddlestone will feature for the club’s Under-21 side as one of five permitted over-age outfield players in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.
