Six Man Utd academy youngsters drafted into first-team training

Manchester United drafted in six youngsters to train with the first team on Tuesday.

The Red Devils have seven points from their opening three Premier League games and are about to see the fixtures come thick and fast.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are set to enter the Carabao Cup and begin their Champions League campaign.

United will play five games in a fortnight once the Premier League resumes on September 11 and resources may well be tested.

Charlie McNeill, Álvaro Fernández, Zidane Iqbal, Björn Hardley, Joe Hugill and Charlie Wellens all worked alongside the club's established stars.

Solskjaer added Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, further bolstering their options.

Alvaro Fernandez was one of several youngsters to feature in first team training

Nevertheless the United boss has continued to give youth a chance at Old Trafford and that trend is set to continue where possible.

Mason Greenwood has been the biggest academy success story of the Norwegian's tenure thus far.

Brandon Williams, Anthony Elanga and Shola Shoretire have all been given opportunities as well.

Hugill, a striker who has impressed with the U23s, has been tipped for first team involvement.

Solskjaer had previously stated that Hugill was closer to the first team picture than Amad, who has already made his debut.

He's also added that "we're looking forward to seeing his development."

The United boss has previously commented on the club's tradition at giving its academy stars a chance to flourish.

He said: "I think we've always been built on youth and young players coming through and there's always going to be one or two special kids coming through the youth system at Manchester United.

"We do have a couple who I'm sure that we will see in the next couple of years.

"I don't want to put pressure on them in giving the names now because I don't think it's fair but there's a few that we believe are going to make it as first-team players at Manchester United.

Back in the 2019/20 season, Solskjaer's first full year, he gave eight academy players their first-team debuts, equalling a 67-year-old mark set by Sir Matt Busby.

Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene in 2016 under Louis van Gaal and has now become an integral part of the first team, although he remains sidelined.

Solskjaer played in a trophy-laden era at Old Trafford that saw the club benefit from youngsters like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - all of whom played in the academy.