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Manchester United’s youth academy is famous for producing professional footballers, regardless of whether they go on to play for United or not.
Di’Shon Bernard is set to add his name to the list after he signed for Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.
To new beginnings… @swfc 🦉💙 pic.twitter.com/FIyYeKulB5
— BigDish 🤘🏾 (@DishonBernard) July 31, 2023
Bernard was one of the players whose contract expired at the end of the 2022/23 season and wasn’t on the club’s retained list.
Bernard signed for United in 2017, having come through Chelsea’s youth in what was a highly coveted capture.
Since then, he has had loan spells at Salford City, Hull City, and Portsmouth.
Securing a move to a second-tier side is a great achievement for Bernard, as he spent the last season on loan at third-tier Portsmouth.
He made only 10 appearances, totalling just 644 minutes of football.
It was a far cry from his 2021/22 season when he played 26 games for Hull City in the Championship and his prospects at United looked bright.
United arguably dropped the ball with Bernard then, as a loan to a Premier League side could have been the next step in his development.
Instead, he came back to Old Trafford, made scattered appearances for the reserve side, and failed to kick on from a good move in a time that stunted his development. Most of it was down to an injury absence which struck him at the worst possible time.
As a current Jamaican international, the 22-year-old centre-back has international experience which could be valued highly by Wednesday.
Moreover, his performances with Hull City have shown that he is arguably a Championship-level player so securing him on a free transfer is a good bit of business by the club.
United have been keen to move on youth prospects opportunistically now to avoid a repeat of Bernard’s fate. The club could have gotten a good transfer fee for the player at the end of the 2021/22 season on loan at Hull.
Instead, he leaves as a free agent two years after that spell, leaving United with no return on the six years they spent on his development into a professional.
