Man United fans baffled as 37-year-old scores in U21s derby - but there's a simple reason why

Veteran midfielder Tom Huddlestone turned back time and scored the winning goal for Manchester United's Under-21s against Manchester City on Monday - leaving fans wondering why a 37-year-old was playing for the club's youth team.

Huddlestone put United ahead 2-0 early in the second half after Ethan Wheatley's opener. Stephen Mfuni scored for City in the 60th minute, but they couldn't equalise with 10 men after Sam Mather was sent off in the 79th minute.

Since replacing former defender Paul McShane in 2022, Huddlestone has been a player-coach for the United Under-21s, making over a dozen appearances for the team and playing the entire 90 minutes in their last four games. But the reason for his inclusion is clear.

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According to the Premier League rulebook, "each team can field a goalkeeper over the age limit" and up to five "over-age" outfield players in Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy matches. Following the win, United sit 10th in the Premier League 2 standings, while City are at the bottom of the 26-team division with only one win in 14 games.

Tottenham currently lead the division, with West Ham and fellow London rivals Arsenal in second and third place.

Huddlestone, who started his football journey with Derby County and later played for Tottenham Hotspur for eight years, has had quite the career. He also played for Wolves on loan, had two stints at Hull, and went back to Derby. As a midfielder, he even played for England's national team four times from 2009 to 2012.

Talking about his new job in 2022, Huddlestone shared: "It was quite random to