Who is Harry Amass? Manchester United youngster handed first-team role against Liverpool

Harry Amass has been included by Manchester United after they named their matchday squad to face Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

One of English football’s fiercest rivalries is renewed at Old Trafford for the second time in just three weeks following last month’s seven-goal FA Cup classic on the same ground, where Amad Diallo notched a last-gasp extra-time winner - and was then promptly sent off - to send Erik ten Hag’s side into a Wembley semi-final against Coventry and end Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of an unlikely trophy quadruple in his last season in charge on Merseyside.

United approach this Premier League rematch in a familiar state of turbulence, having conceded a 97th-minute equaliser at Brentford following a woeful performance last weekend before leading 3-2 in stoppage time of their chaotic clash with Chelsea on Thursday night and winding up somehow not even managing to take a point away from Stamford Bridge.

A defensive injury crisis is certainly not helping to ease the latest mounting pressure on the under-fire Ten Hag, with Lisandro Martinez having suffered another injury setback - a calf strain picked up in training at Carrington - that is going to keep him out of action again for at least a month after he had only made his latest comeback at Brentford as a second-half replacement for Victor Lindelof, himself also facing four weeks out with a hamstring issue.

While the situation improved slightly to start the game against Chelsea with Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans all declared fit in west London, Varane was taken off at half-time for the second game running before replacement Evans also limped off in the second half, replaced by academy graduate Willy Kambwala.

19-year-old Frenchman Kambwala starts alongside Maguire at Old Trafford with Varane and Evans sidelined, with United’s defensive woes also not helped by Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia also being out.

Such a dearth of available senior defenders has also led to a first promotion to the senior ranks for Amass, the versatile 17-year-old left-back.

Amass is a highly-rated England Under-17 international whom United signed from Watford last summer, beating Chelsea to a deal for an exciting youngster who had earned rave reviews in the youth setup at Vicarage Road and been included in the Hornets’ first-team squad aged just 15 for an FA Cup tie at Reading as well as helping the Young Lions to success at the UEFA Under-16 Development Tournament.

The teenager - who had been at Watford since the age of nine - has seemingly gone from strength to strength since then, having been promoted to first-team training under Ten Hag at United in February before his 17th birthday after enjoying a starring role for Adam Lawrence’s Under-18 side.

Then in March, Amass signed his first professional contract at United, writing on Instagram: “Proud moment for me and my family to sign my first professional contract.”