i think the youth team are very important as are the academy age groups.
let me tell you that my son plays for a premiership academy team and plays v both city and utd, the style of play could not be more different
city full of big lads who launch the ball forward and rely on pace and power, utd pass the ball better, play better football and dont rely on size, more technique
if my son left his team and was given the chose of playing for both, it absolutley destroys me to say but he would learn to be a better player at the scum
before people start calling me a rag, dont im a loyal city fan of over 30 years and went for alot of seasons without hardly missing games especially in our darker days, im just telling you how it is at academy level