Young Reds Receive Awards

Five young Manchester United players have been honoured by the Premier League after making their debuts in the competition last season.

Joel Pereira, Demi Mitchell, Axel Tuanzebe, Scott McTominay and Angel Gomes have received awards to commemorate their first senior appearances in the top-flight for the Reds in the latter stages of the 2016/17 campaign.

Goalkeeper Pereira, full-back Mitchell and midfielder McTominay started the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the final league game as part of United's most youthful line-up in Premier League history, while forward Gomes came off the bench to become the club's youngest-ever Premier League player at 16 years and 263 days old.

Defender Tuanzebe featured in the final four league games of the campaign after making a solid debut at right-back against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, where McTominay also made his first outing as a second-half substitute.

The quintet picked up special Premier League footballs alongside Head of Academy, Nicky Butt, to mark the occasion and spoke to MUTV about making their memorable debuts.

Mitchell said: "I actually found out after the Southampton game when I was on the bench – I was nervous for that game but didn't come on and the manager came over and said: 'You're going to start against Palace'. It hit me then and, from then up until the game, I was thinking about it and focused on it."

Pereira added: "I knew a couple of weeks before, the manager told me that I was going to play this game so I had time to prepare myself and get ready for the game."

Gomes described the moment he replaced Wayne Rooney against Palace at a packed Old Trafford: "When I saw the board go up and I saw Wayne Rooney was coming off for me to come on, it was a dream come true so I'm hoping for more of those moments really."

Tuanzebe was given the responsibility of taking on Alexis Sanchez in the heavyweight battle against the Gunners on his Reds bow but acquitted himself well. He said: "Until you get on the pitch, that’s when you realise and it sinks in that this is the big moment. This is what I've trained for all of my life and you have to forget the occasion and play the game."

McTominay also played a part in the big match and explained when the enormity of his achievement dawned on him: "It was probably the night before the game and obviously it was a massive feeling for me being on the bench away at Arsenal. 

"It was a big game and it was pleasing to be involved in a game of such magnitude and to come on in the last five or 10 minutes was a dream really because that’s what you worked for your whole life, coming through the youth team, there's nothing better." 

United continue to produce homegrown talents capable of joining Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard in the senior side, with Head of Academy Nicky Butt recently explaining why the pathway into the first team is a big draw for any youngster.