Bribed with chocolate pancakes and back to school on Thursday - the story of Man United's history-maker

Ethan Wheatley was pretty keen to go to school on Thursday morning, but then wouldn't you be if you had made your debut for Manchester United 12 hours earlier?

It wasn't just any old debut for the 18-year-old, either. The Stockport-born striker's name will now forever be linked with the history of English football's greatest hotbed of young talent. When Wheatley stepped onto the Old Trafford pitch in the closing stages of the 4-2 win against Sheffield United, he became the 250th academy player to represent the United first team.

That astonishing record is a source of immense pride inside the corridors of Carrington and Wheatley's debut was a moment to celebrate. It also capped an unforgettable week for the teenager, who was an unused substitute for Erik ten Hag's first team at Wembley on Sunday, scored two goals in the Premier League Cup success for the Under-18s against Manchester City on Tuesday and then came on for Rasmus Hojlund on Wednesday. That's a lot to tell his friends about.

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So it was that Wheatley returned to Ashton on Mersey School on Thursday morning to continue his BTEC in marketing, with United's academy having a link up with the education establishment.

"Ethan has continued with his education. He is in the upper sixth, he has to stay at the school until the end of the year and he will have been there this morning [Thursday]," said the club's academy director Nick Cox.

"Of late he has been in and around the first-team squad, he has been to the FA Cup semi-finals, and he has actually been pestering us to come into school