We’re former Premier League stars who now play U21 football for top six giants despite approaching 40
MONDAY night’s Manchester derby between United and City’s U21 teams was meant to give us a glimpse into who would be the next Cole Palmer, Oscar Bobb, or Kobbie Mainoo.
And yet the winner was struck by a grizzled veteran in the form of 37-year-old Tom Huddlestone.
The midfielder made 242 appearances Premier League appearances for Tottenham and Hull City and is fondly remembered for his rasping long range strikes down the years.
And his goal for United’s U21s was another of that genre, pinging a bobbling ball from the edge of the box off the post and into the bottom left corner.
But why is the midfielder playing for United’s U21s exactly? Especially given that he had no previous affiliation to the club during his playing career.
His involvement with United’s youth setup began in the summer of 2022, when he was signed by United to play a “hybrid role” in the academy as a coach and player.
Speaking to the now off-air Soccer AM, he revealed how the move came about and admitted his own surprise when United first got in contact.
Huddlestone said: “It was quite random to be fair. Paul McShane, who I played with at Hull, did the role in 2021 before retiring.
“He then put my name forward and it was midway through pre-season when I got the phone call [offering me the job].
“The first week [in the job] the first team was away so there was no eyes on me or any pressure like that. It’s a big old building so I was saying to Macca [McShane] ‘I’m just going to shadow you for the first week’.
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“But the five or six coaches I’m working with daily are top notch and really helpful for me, coming from that playing side into a sort of hybrid role.
He explained that the role sees him use his experience to coach United’s young stars while on the pitch with them, and said: “When you’re on the pitch you’re expected to give a bit of info so its similar to that really. The hardest part is mindset-wise, remembering that you’re not fighting to stay in the team.
“You want to do as well as you can but you know your main job is to try and develop the players around you rather than try and stay in the team for the next game.”
United aren’t the only top six side to utilise a hybrid coach, with Jay Spearing playing a similar role for Liverpool.
Spearing broke into Liverpool’s first-team from their academy in 2010, spending four years at the club before leaving for Bolton Wanderers in 2014.
During his spell in Merseyside, he made 55 appearances for the club.
After a journeyman career in the lower leagues, Spearing returned to Liverpool in 2022 to perform the same hybrid style role as Huddlestone.
Speaking to Goal, Spearing said it is still a dream to pull on a Reds shirt, and described re-joining the club as a hybrid coach following a call from academy director Alex Ingelthorpe as a “No brainer.”
Spearing said: “I’d been in [the club] for about two years coaching the U15s and U16s, while I did my UEFA ‘A’ licence.
“Then, one day Alex called me in and said ‘Can I have a word?’ I was thinking ‘Have I done something wrong?’ but he just sprung it on me and asked me if I’d be interested in a player-coach role.
“It caught me by surprise, obviously. My head was still focused on playing, but I went away and did a bit of investigating, and I quickly realised it wasn’t something I could walk away from. There were just too many positives.”
Speaking about the wisdom he is able to impart to the young players he is coaching, Spearing said: “I’ve seen a lot of things in this game. I’ve experienced highs, lows, promotions, relegations. I’ve worked under different managers and different owners, and seen just about everything you could wish to see.
“I hope that I can use those experiences as a coach. My main role, to start with, is to get in and amongst the lads, set the standards on the training ground, and try and show them what it takes to be a professional footballer.
“But I also hope they’ll feel they can speak to me too, that I can offer advice with certain things.
“I’ll never tell them what they should or shouldn’t do with their career, but I can share my experiences from 15 years in the professional game and hopefully help them on their own journey.”
Spearing has made nine appearances for Liverpool’s U-21 side this season, playing a total of 204 minutes for the club.
He played in the EFL trophy for the U21s against Barrow in November last year, playing 51 minutes before subbing himself off.
His substitution saw the side let a 1-0 lead slip to lose 2-1 on the night – showing the valuable experience the player can bring to the youth team.