Manchester United are boosted by the return of two players ahead of their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Ineed, tThe Red Devils will see defensive pair Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro return to the squad for the trip to the high-flying East Midlands outfit.
However, left-back Luke Shaw, who has been out for several months, is still not ready to return, despite making progress with overcoming his injury. Youngster Ayden Heaven will also miss the trip to Forest due to injury and Kobbie Mainoo is also making progress but isnât ready for a return to the squad.
Another player who wonât be available for the trip to the City Ground is young Bendito Mantato, due to his involvement in Unitedâs FA Youth Cup tie.
Bendito Mantato's progress this season
17-year-old Mantato has been tipped for big things in a United shirt. According to a report from Academy Scoop, he âis set to sign his first professional contractâ at Old Trafford in the coming days.
The report goes on to state that the England U17 attacker is âheld in high regard by the clubâ before explaining that Ruben Amorim wants to give him a first-team debut before the season is out.
Well, that is certainly exciting for United fans. The wing-back has been a key player for the Red Devils in the U18s Premier League this term, scoring six times, all of which have come from the right wing, across ten appearances.
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However, there is evidence to suggest that the youngster could break into the first team as a wing-back. He has played as a left-back for England U17s, with Statman Dave suggesting that his âprofile is perfect for Amorimâs wing-back roleâ.
Well, whatever the case, he wonât be involved for United against Forest after playing in the FA Youth Cup. However, there is another youngster whom Amoirm could unleash at wing-back.
Man United's Mantato alternative
Few things are as important in a footballerâs career than their first-team debut, especially when that comes on your 18th birthday.
That was the case for London-born Harry Amass, who made his first senior appearance in Unitedâs last game before the international break away to Leicester City.
Against the Foxes, the youngster was impressive in his 21-minute cameo. One of the key features of his game was his âphenomenalâ technical ability, something United fan and host of The Overlap: The Breakdown H described.
His stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, show just how well he performed in that demanding wing-back role. Amass had 30 touches of the ball, completed 91% of his passes, and won two from three attempted tackles.
Minutes played
21
Touches
30
Pass accuracy
91%
Passes completed
10/11
Duels won
3/7
Tackles won
2/3
Interceptions
1
This term, Amass has featured 21 times for Unitedâs academy, a total of 1756 minutes. In that time, heâs grabbed four assists, mainly playing in a more orthodox left-back role rather than as a wing-back like he did for the first team.
The youngster can certainly play a big role for the Red Devils going forward, having already impressed at wing-back in a short space of time.
If given more minutes, he could grab that chance with both hands and become a serious challenger for Unitedâs first choice on that side, Patrick Dorgu.
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