Erik ten Hag was pleased with the performances of a whole host of Manchester United youngsters as they beat Leeds 2-0 in their first pre-season friendly.
The Red Devils boss put out two entirely different lineups in each half and it was during the second 45 minutes when a full team of academy starlets got their chance to shine. Despite star names like Raphael Varane, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho starting the match, it was the younger players who got the job done for United in Oslo, Norway.
Well-taken goals from Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill sealed the win, impressing Ten Hag, who'll soon select who he takes on tour to the United States. "We have seen some good things and good stuff," the Dutchman told MUTV post-match.
"We have already trained like this over the last year and you can see that foundation in our play. The young lads fit our play. We show them our rules and principles - they showed us that today.
"They come in and it is a big moment when you come up into the first-team squad. You deserve game time - you work so hard for so many years then you get that opportunity, here. Two of those players have scored to win the game."
As for the more recognisable names, centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Varane looked slightly rusty at the Ullevaal Stadium. "Licha is still on his way back - he worked very hard over the summer and you can see he has a small lack of rhythm," Ten Hag admitted. "But he and Rapha fit so well together.
"Rapha is a fantastic personality. From the first moment I met him, even though we all know what he had already achieved with Real Madrid and France, he is unbelievable. He is so full of respect for everyone – the fans admire him so much like we all do."
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New signing Mount also made his debut and Ten Hag described his performance as "great." The United manager added: "We all expected this from him. This was just his first game but he is going to contribute to our performance so much."
More first-team players are set to return to training later this week, including Marcus Rashford and Casemiro. The Red Devils play Lyon at Murrayfield in Edinburgh next Wednesday, although not all of the stars aren't guaranteed to be involved.
"Those international players need days off and relaxation," Ten Hag noted. "They played so many games last season so they need that rest. But we need to be careful bringing them back, going from zero to 100 is very tough."
