U21s coach Lawrence outlines Man Utd summer plans

Jacob Devaney has started 11 games for St Mirren since he joined on loan from Manchester United in February [Getty Images]

Manchester United under-21s coach Adam Lawrence has been talking about the plans for the club's younger players next season.

For a start, he has highlighted the potential for greater opportunities at senior level at the beginning of pre-season in July given the opening friendly against Wrexham – who might be a Premier League club by then – is on 18 July in Helsinki, the day before the World Cup final.

The Football League season starts three weeks after that though, so demands will intensify.

"Once you get past that bit (around pre-season) and closer to the start of the season proper, it will be looking at do we feel that a loan and senior football is the next step for certain individuals or do we feel their development is best kept within the building?" said Lawrence.

"That allows us to work closer with the player and have more control of their programme.

"When the players go out on loan, there's some really good lessons in terms of sometimes they might play, sometimes they might be out of the team, about being in a senior dressing room.

"There might be other players that we feel a longer period within the 21s or within the building, with exposure to the first team will help them."

United currently have a number of young players out on loan but not all have been as fortunate as Jacob Devaney, the young midfielder who is excelling at St Mirren.

Ethan Wheatley and Gabriele Biancheri have been in and out of the Bradford and Rotherham squads over the second half of the season and the same is also true of James Scanlon and Sekou Kone at Swindon and Swiss club Lausanne.