Andy Cole names two Manchester United youngsters who impressed him vs Leeds

Andy Cole was impressed by Noam Emeran and Kobbie Mainoo during Manchester United's 2-0 win over Leeds last week, suggesting the latter would have been more involved with the first team were it not for injury.

The pair were among several young Reds involved last Wednesday as United kicked off their pre-season campaign with a comfortable win in Oslo. Emeran opened the scoring midway through the second half before Joe Hugill fired home with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Mainoo started the game at the heart of midfield and controlled the game with ease, winning possession in the middle of the park and spraying passes with intent. The 18-year-old has been touted as a potential breakout star for next season, with Cole backing the youngsters to continue their development.

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“The boy who got the first goal, Emeran. His energy, the way he got the ball and ran at people," Cole told United's in-house media team. "He was just positive, mentally.

“In the first half, the young central midfield player [Kobbie Mainoo] was very good. I was speaking to someone who said if he hadn’t been injured, he might have played a few games at the back end of last season.

"I was looking at him the other day and I was thinking to myself, 'I can see why'. He looked a really good player.

“These kids are playing like they've been there a long time, and that's what I enjoyed [in the Leeds game] as well. I could sit here and say that the future is bright, but you never really know where these kids are going to end up. But what they showed on Wednesday