Manchester United's season is all about the Europa League, but the academy remain in the hunt to win the Premier League 2 title after coming back to beat West Ham on Monday afternoon.
The revamped Under-21 league now concludes with end-of-season play-offs, and United arranged their semi-final against West Ham to be played at the latest possible date to ensure they had the strongest squad available.
Bendito Mantato, Jaydan Kamason and Sekou Kone travelled to Athletic Bilbao last week, but they weren't included in the first-team squad against Brentford. That suggested they would feature for the U21s on Bank Holiday, although only Kone was named in the starting XI.
Mantato and Kamason were present in the stands instead, along with Chido Obi and Harry Amass, who were supporting their peers after starting against Brentford at the Gtech Stadium.
Even without those talented youngsters, Travis Binnion still named a strong starting side to take on the Hammers, with the likes of Ethan Wheatley, James Scanlon, Godwill Kukonki and Kone all featuring.
Kone has improved with practically every month since signing from Malian club Guidars FC for around £1million last summer and he wore the No.10 shirt for the quarter-final clash.
The midfielder is a traditional No.6, but he operated in the most advanced midfield position, with Tyler Fletcher and Jacob Devaney occupying deeper roles, which was something new.
While Kone often likes to drift forward from defensive midfield, he doesn't stand out as a player with the skillset to play as a No.10, and he wasn't as effective as usual.
United play youngsters in different positions to benefit their development, though. Academy staff take young players out of their comfort zone by playing them in
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