Manchester United striker Manni Norkett, from North Muskham, on his Papa John's Trophy debut against Sunderland, scoring goals across all age groups and how he performs under pressure
Manchester United are renowned for their youth policy and consistent promotion of home-grown players into the first-team squad.
From cult hero youth products such as George Best and Bobby Charlton to David Beckham and Ryan Giggs and, more recently, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, the club has used an academy graduate in its last 4,000 matchday squads, a record stretching 80 years.
The latest youth talent with dreams of one day adding himself to the list of those names is 16-year-old Manni Norkett, from North Muskham, who joined the club’s academy in 2018.
Striker Norkett, who first developed his skills in front of goal in the Newark youth leagues for the likes of Collingham, Newark Town and RHP Colts, scored 32 goals across all competitions for United last season, making himself one of the most lethal finishers in the club’s academy.
And Norkett’s eye for goal helped him earn a professional debut for the club’s under-21s against Sunderland’s first team in the EFL Trophy (now known as the Papa John’s Trophy for commercial reasons).
Norkett featured off the bench at the Stadium of Light in what was a must-win game for United.
Despite a 2-1 defeat, Norkett said it was one of the best experiences of his football career to date.
“I found out on Tuesday (the day before the game) when I was training with the squad,” said Norkett, recalling how the moment unfolded.
“After the session, I was told I would be on the bench, and I thought that would be it.
“We had strikers who are older than me in the squad, and it was a must-win game.”
Norkett came on after 80 minutes, replacing Joe Hugill, with United chasing the game.
“I was shaking — I always get nervous before games, and I don’t know why, but it was one of the best experiences that I have had being at United,” he said.
“I had a few different touches, but we were trying to force crosses into the box, so I was lurking in and around the box, just waiting for something to drop to me.
“It was an awkward one (when I came on), we were 2-1 down, and we were trying to force the goal.
“A couple of minutes after being on, I chased a defender down and smashed him in front of the Sunderland crowd, and we won the ball and went on to almost score — that will stick with me forever.
“It is funny because when I was on the bench, I could hear the fans. There was the classic ‘way, you’re sh*t’ and they were taking the mick, but once I was on, I couldn’t hear a thing.
“One of my team-mates let the ball run out of play, and I thought if I come on, I would get proper stick if I did that.”
The experience was part of the learning curve for Norkett, who made the step up from under-16s to under-18s level at the start of the season. He has since featured for the under-23s, making his debut against West Ham United on Saturday.
“It is mostly parent-based at the training ground where we play, and if they started kicking off they get told to calm down or they are taken out of the ground,” he said.
“Once you’re in a stadium with a proper set of fans it is fair game, isn’t it? You are not going to be told off if you give someone stick.”
Although anxious while waiting to be thrown into the fray at Sunderland, Norkett said he had no shame in being nervous.
He said he even felt nervous before his Sunday League matches while playing in Newark’s junior leagues, though the nerves come from the pressure he puts on himself rather than external factors.
“Sometimes it is a good 25 minutes (into the game) before they are gone,” he said.
“I would like to think that others get nervous because it doesn’t matter how good of a player you are, you should always want to do well, and that is where my nerves are from.”
It was clear that Norkett — unlike all academy players his age — was focused on being the best version of himself on and off the pitch.
He said he had already put in extra fitness work after what he felt was a tough start to the season, both for the team and personally.
“Coming back from pre-season I hit the ground running, but in the first game of the season I didn’t do well,” said Norkett, who celebrates his 17th birthday this weekend (October 30).
“I was brought off after 60 minutes against Manchester City, so it was a real sickener. That wasn’t a great feeling in my first 18s game.
“We then had Liverpool and we got absolutely smashed and, again, it was a really disappointing feeling, but the fact that I did better than I did against City was a comforting thing.
“We had Leeds next, and I had a fairly good game, but I didn’t score.
“My mum, my dad and my coaches were happy with me, but I felt absolutely awful — I felt sick for the rest of the weekend.
“I was starting to worry. I had only recently signed my scholarship, and I didn’t want to be one of those players who could score in the 16s and previous age groups but couldn’t do it at the scholar level.
“I am very similar to my dad and we get our heads down when we have problems. I went through a two-week spell of just clocking so much distance and doing so much high-speed running to make myself fitter.
“I wanted to push through the problems. I know I have had bad spells before, and they can lead to really high periods, so it was a case of getting through that patch to get to the good bit.”
And the persistence paid off for Norkett with the centre-forward scoring a brace against Stoke City and a hat-trick against Birmingham City, with debuts for the under-21s and under-23s age group following soon after.
“You have got to be patient,” he said.
“From a young age, I have always scored goals no matter the team or age group. I have always been capable of scoring goals.
“Even though I wasn’t scoring, the season before I had clocked the most in the academy, so I never got into the mindset that I couldn’t score because I knew I could regardless of age group, whether it be 17s, 18s, 21s, 23s, I believe I can go out and score.
“A lot of my game is based on creating chances for myself.
“If I run as hard as I can and put people under pressure I know that I will get the ball back in a good area and go on to score from that.”
