James Overy was signed to the academy last summer and has now signed a professional contract with Man United.
James Overy has signed a professional deal.(Image: Manchester United)
Manchester United youngster James Overy has signed a professional contract with the club.
United signed Overy to the academy on a scholarship deal last summer and the defender has now been rewarded with a professional contract, which is recognition of his potential.
The 18-year-old trained with the first-team at Carrington in May. Overy was among a large group of youngsters who trained ahead of facing Chelsea in the Premier League, with the likes of Chido Obi, Godwill Kukonki, Harry Amass, James Scanlon and Jaydan Kamason also taking part.
Shortly after signing for United, Overy picked up an injury and spent eight months on the sidelines. The promising right-back finally made his debut for the Under-18s in February.
After Overy’s debut for the academy, former U18 manager Adam Lawrence reflected on his road to recovery from injury and told MUTV: “It’s been really hard for James because obviously he’s made the move from Australia and he’s a terrific lad, first of all.
“But he got injured in pre-season and you can see he’s such a great lad, a great kid and has such good energy and he wanted to be back. A real credit to him because he stayed positive throughout.
“It’s not affected him in terms of his positivity. And listen, it’s obviously disappointing what’s happened in the game, but for him to be back and playing football again is brilliant.”
Overy has signed a professional deal after the Manchester Evening News revealed Kukonki, another young defender, was also set to sign professional terms with the club following talks.
The opportunity to sign a professional contract is an important milestone in a youngster’s career.
Overy qualifies to represent Australia, England and Scotland on the international stage.
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