To Manchester United fans who only follow the exploits of the first-team, Warren Joyce is perhaps little more than a name heard in passing. But to those whose support extends beyond 'how to get the best out of Pogba' and 'why Rooney is past it', Joyce was hugely important and his departure to manage Wigan Athletic is a real and significant loss.
United have dominated at Under-21/reserve level in recent years, claiming three of four titles since the inception of 'Premier League 2' and Joyce's coaching has been the reason why. In his eight years in charge, initially as co-manager with Ole Gunnar Solskjaeruntil 2010, the Oldham native collected 14 trophies across the various competitions available.
Good luck to Warren Joyce, who leaves #MUFC to become Wigan's first-team manager: https://t.co/ZaHy7QUV0W
Thanks for everything, Joycey! pic.twitter.com/WUbp4nHCZo
Joyce is known for his hard but fair and 'tough love' approach, a coaching technique credited for helping toughen up and prepare numerous raw juniors for life as a full professional. Young players knew they had to work hard for him and they reaped the rewards when they did.
United's recent Under-21 success has arguably been an over-achievement given the surprising general lack of genuine talent produced by the academy - the main reason for the overhaul that has seen Nicky Butt, a former assistant to Joyce, take the central role as academy director.
Joyce demonstrated his coaching ability by continuing to win with what he had anyway. His team last season, for example, was often overloaded with naturally defensive playersand lacked a real striker both before Will Keane's return from loan in January and then again after his injury in February.
Joyce's impact at United stood to be huge in the coming years.
His renamed Under-23 team had struggled so far this season, with a number of those who won last season's Premier League 2 title having moved on without being suitably replaced by the next generation. Back in August, he even labelled a number of players 'deluded' as to their own ability after an early loss.But, as part of Butt's ongoing overhaul at the younger age levels and general academy recruitment, United now have an incredibly talented new group of 16 and 17 year old players nearing the next step.
Names like Angel Gomes (pictured withEngland U-16 below), Joshua Bohui, Tahith Chong and others that keep cropping up would have been due to start working with Joyce soon. The likes of defensive pair Ro-Shaun Williams and Axel Tuanzebe have already done so. The same, albeit for a much shorter time, was true for the younger and supremely gifted Callum Gribbin, who stood to learn so much from Joyce, as well as another talent inDJ Buffonge.
What 's crucial now is that United identify and appoint a new Under-23 manager to replace Joyce, one that can pick up the mantle and continue to feed a legacy of producing home-grown first-team players for every matchday squad that extends back unbroken to 1937.
Ryan Giggs is an early name on the lips of misguidedfew.It needs more than that, it needs a well respected coach with a proven track record in player development who can match what Joyce gave and achieved for so long.
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