James Overy: Australia recalls 18-year-old Manchester United full-back

He has yet to play any senior football. He only joined Manchester United last summer and last year was playing in the tenth tier of English football.

But 18-year-old right-back James Overy, who played for United’s Under-18s against Leeds on Saturday, could be headed to next summer’s World Cup after being called up to Australia’s squad for friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia in the United States.

Overy, a former Perth Glory teenager, moved to Devon from Australia in 2023, playing for Newton Abbot Spurs’ first team in the South West Peninsula League before signing for United’s academy a year later.

A major Achilles injury has halted Overy’s progress, but his talent has been evident in United colors at Under-18 and Under-21 level, featuring against top opposition in National League Cup ties at Tamworth and Rochdale.

Overy is a quick right-back, who can cover the centre-backs well and press forward. However, the reason for his call-up to the national team is supposed to be due to his performance for his country in the Under-20 World Cup in Chile last month, despite Australia failing to exit the group stage.

“He’s worth a look at,” Australia coach Tony Popovic said of the youngster who was not named in United’s first-team squad.

“I’m open-minded about what that will look like in the near future and in the long term.

“I was impressed to watch him up close in Chile.

“We have good contacts at Manchester United, so we know what he does in training.

“He is in the process of being called up (to coach the first team) quite often.”

Overy is among seven uncapped players in Australia’s squad, as Popovic looks to build depth ahead of next summer’s World Cup, the sixth in a row they qualify for and seventh overall.

The defender is also eligible to play for Scotland and has represented them at U19 level.

Oddly enough, Overy will join fellow full-back Diego León (Paraguay) and player James Scanlon (Gibraltar) on his first international cap before making his first-team debut for Manchester United.