Manchester United might soon have two new first-teamers

One of the key reasons Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag this summer was his commitment to giving young players a chance. There is no club in world football with a prestigious history of youth development that comes close to United's and the new manager hasn't taken long to acknowledge that himself.

With no first-team men's match at the weekend, Ten Hag and his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag joined technical director Darren Fletcher and Andy O’Boyle, the club’s deputy director of football, to watch the U21s face West Ham in the Premier League 2.

It was a surprise visit that U21s manager Mark Dempsey had not even been informed of and evidence of the way Ten Hag likes to operate by throwing players into situations at the deep end, to truly gauge their character.

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Zidane Iqbal and Alejandro Garnacho are now regulars in the United first-team under the Dutchman, and it is hardly even worth reporting when they train with the seniors, such is the frequency at which they attend those sessions.

If there are going to be any breakthroughs for youngsters this season at senior level, then those are the two leading candidates to do so, with Erik ten Hag an admirer of their respective talents and their growing maturity.

Those two teenagers might be at the top of the United conveyer belt of youth talent, but they aren't the only ones with real ambitions of making it into the first team, and they might soon be joined by another two academy hopefuls in the senior player pool.

Charlie McNeill made his debut from the bench against Real Sociedad almost two weeks ago and travelled to Moldova last week, though this time he was an unused substitute.

It has been a surreal experience