Manchester United U21s vs Chelsea LIVE Premier League 2 updates, early team news and score prediction

Manchester United's Under-21s take on Chelsea at Leigh Sports Village in the Premier League 2 on Monday night.

The youngsters, who are managed by Mark Dempsey, made a slow start to the season, which saw them languishing at the bottom of the table, but they've enjoyed a change of fortunes in the last few months and they're now in seventh position.

The Reds drew 2-2 with Wolves most recently and Omari Forson and Joe Hugill got on the scorehseet in that game. Forson has contributed nine goals and three assists in 19 appearances this term, which makes him the U21s' top scorer.

However, Chelsea are bound to be a tough opponent, as they are in second position in the Premier League 2.

Follow below for live updates from Leigh Sports Village.

The same conversation with Kobbie Mainoo's father was had every Sunday morning at Cheadle Hulme High School in Stockport.

Mainoo was just five years old, but the coach who was responsible for organising Cheadle and Gatley FC's academy, which was created to introduce young children to football, already knew he needed a bigger challenge to 'push him' further.

"In terms of my time with Kobbie at Cheadle and Gatley, he was definitely a standout player by a mile at that young age," Steve Vare, who remains involved on the committee of grassroots Stockport club, told the Manchester Evening News.

Read the full Mainoo feature here.

Hello and welcome to today's Manchester United U21 match blog.