Mourinho Pleased With His Youngsters

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho had special praise for youngsters Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe after handing the pair starts at Swansea City in the Carabao Cup.

The fourth-round tie marked their first inclusion in the senior XI this season and Mourinho was particularly impressed by McTominay, who worked hard in midfield. Tuanzebe, selected on the left side of a back three also containing captain Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof, showed great maturity and was involved in the build-up for Jesse Lingard's second goal during the 2-0 triumph.

"The kids are always the kids," said the manager on MUTV. "When they play, it's nice and it's good. When they perform well, it's even better. I think they both had good performances.

"I would say especially Scott, as he had a big influence in the game in a crucial area. He was very comfortable and strong in midfield. I tried to give Axel good protection. I think Axel started a little bit shaky but he got stability and had a good performance.

"I decided to play with three because also Victor was perhaps not coming with his confidence levels very high so I decided to play both with the experience of Smalling. It was good for the players to have confidence."