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Manchester United have had a bit of a fire sale at their academy.

Tyler Reid, Joe Rothwell, Ashley Fletcher and Jimmy Dunne have all departed in a matter of days, spying opportunities elsewhere that may not have been on the cards for them at Old Trafford.

If this thins the pool of players available for Warren Joyce and indeed Jose Mourinho next season, the departures should reinforce an important message: United are excellent at producing footballers.

The stats for transitions at the club speak for themselves, and have done for some time.

At least one academy graduate has been included in a matchday squad for every game in the last 79 years and 14 featured in the first team under Louis van Gaal last season.

United's new head of academy Nicky Butt puts the dream scenario well.

"We’re very proud when they make their debuts, very proud when they have careers in the Championship and League One but, ultimately, the aim is to provide top-class players for Manchester United that can go on to win the Champions League.

"We know it’s very, very hard to do that but it has got to be the ultimate goal and everyone knows that."

In reality, far more leave the club than are retained but giving players the chance of a professional career is still vitally important and United have again shown their ability in this regard.

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“Manchester United is a big club who have been good to me since the age of 10 and they have developed me into the player and person I am now," Dunne told Burnley's site and Fletcher also gave his thanks to the club they have learned their trade at.

Being a United academy graduate in the Premier League is no rare thing.

“There have been a hell of a lot of players down the years," said Warren Joyce in May. You can reel a team off easily. Tom Heaton or Ron-Robert Zieler in goal – he's won the World Cup. You have Rafa[el], [Phil] Bardsley, [Ritchie] De Laet, Danny Simpson. You have [Ryan] Shawcross, [Craig] Cathcart, [Jonny] Evans, [Michael] Keane, James Chester...”

Not all of those are still in the division but as things stand going into the new season, 15 out of the 20 teams (including United) will have that connection with the Reds; Spurs, Southampton, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Chelsea are the only teams that do not have a former Red in their ranks.

After the chaotic season that saw Paul McGuinness leave his role as Under-18s coach and significant changes introduced, this bigger picture is worth bearing in mind.

As Butt said when he took on his new role: "It is not in a mess. I judge academies on players that are coming through. We are getting even more coming through."