Man Utd have their next debutant ahead of Fulham FA Cup tie with five teenagers ready to be unleashed
Cast a look at the Manchester United bench across the past few weeks and you would be forgiven for not recognising a name of two.
Ruben Amorim has been forced to turn to youth to flesh out his squad after a few January departures and several injuries to senior players. United have endured a woeful Premier League season but remain in contention for silverware in the Europa League and FA Cup.
The latter brings Fulham to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon and once again will see several academy prospects involved. With United having progressed to the last four of the FA Youth Cup on Friday night - where several starlets caught the eye - and the involvement of a host of teenagers in first team training over the last few months there is plenty of talent coming through.
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Indeed United could hand out a debut or two against Fulham on Sunday afternoon having already given senior minutes to top prospect Chido Obi. The striker was given 20 minutes off the bench at Everton last month after a late cameo at Tottenham.
The former Arsenal man has been in proflic form at academy level and was kept with the senior squad rather than turning out for United against his former side in the FA Youth Cup quarter finals. That suggests he will again be involved with the first team against Fulham and it would be no surprise if he featuerd.
Another ex Gunner could and talented teenager - Ayden Heaven - has also been on the bench in recent weeks and the defender, while unlikely to start, looks a potential debutant between now and the end of the campaign.
The 18-year-old joined in January and has been with Amorim's squad since arriving. He is left-footed, which helps his cause as a centre back, and has already played senior football for the Gunners prior to moving to Old Trafford.
With Lisandro Martinez out for the remainder of the season, Luke Shaw battling injuries and Johnny Evans out of contract in the sumer, there could be a vacancy for Heaven.
He was not involved in the Youth Cup win over Arsenal, when United rallied from 2-1 down to progress 3-2 after extra time.
Bendito Mantato was the matchwinner and the teenager, who mainly plays on the right, has earned comparisons with Bukayo Saka while progressing through the ranks at United. The 17-year-old has caught the eye in the Under-18s and has featured for the Under-21 side.
He has the capabilities and skillset to play as a wing back, something that stands him in good stead of progressing into Amorim's thinking.
Mantato's fellow academy star Gabriele Biancheri is another with szeemingly a bright future ahead of himself. Signed from Cardiff City, the Welshman has been scoring at a rate of a goal a game in Under-18s football and is a regular for the Under-21s with 16 goals in 22 games across all competitions. He has outscored Obi this term and could be in line for a senior squad spot sooner rather than later.
The Youth Cup win over Arsenal also reinforced Jack Fletcher's talents. The midfielder opened the scoring for United in an all-action display and has already been involved in first team training. The son of former United midfielder Darren, and twin brother of fellow United prospect Tyler, the pair joined from Manchester City in 2023 and have bright futures with the Reds.