Manchester United Youth Products Ritchie Jones, Adam Eckersley Reunite In Edmonton

The recent signing of left back Adam Eckersley reunites the defender with current Eddies midfielder and fellow Manchester United product Ritchie Jones. The two players began their careers in the vaunted English club’s youth program before heading out together to further their professional careers.

Jones’ youth career with the Red Devils began in 2003 and went through 2005 before signing his first professional contract with the club. Following his signing with United, Jones registered time with Royal Antwerp, Colchester United, Barnsley, and Yeovil Town. After making 69 appearances with Hartlepool United, Jones joined Oldham Athletic and Bradford City before heading out on brief stints with Rochdale and Grimsby Town. The 29-year-old signed with Edmonton in 2014.

A year senior to Jones, Eckersley was a member of the United Academy from 2002-04 before signing his first pro-contract with the club’s first team. Over the next decade-plus of his career, Eckersley played for several high-profile clubs that included Brondby, Barnsley, AGF, and Heart of Midlothian. He was a key member of Hearts’ squad during the 2014 campaign, when the historic club earned promotion to the Scottish Professional Football League’s (SPFL) Premier Division.

“I played with Ritchie for two, three years in [Manchester’s] reserve team,” Eckersley said. “I went to Antwerp with him as well, spent six months in a hotel room in Antwerp so I’m pretty close with him. We must have played 60, 70 reserve team games together, maybe more. We’ve touched base every now and again. When I was winning a few trophies last year, Ritchie was congratulating me, so we have sort of kept in touch.”

Eckersley’s play with Hearts put him on the map for FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. His connections with Jones and desire to relocate with his family to Canada would also end up being key factors in signing with the Eddies for the 2016 NASL season. The duo's history on the pitch could pay dividends for the Eddies in the upcoming campaign.

“We both stayed at [Manchester United] until we were 21,” Jones recalled. "He was an age group above me, but we still played together for pretty much most of the time. When we left, we even went to Barnsley together and Royal Antwerp. I know how he plays, he knows how I play. It’s just the start of where we left off, to be honest.”