3 Manchester United youngsters who have impressed in pre-season

Manchester United v Club America - International Champions Cup 2018
Tahith Chong on the ball - Manchester United v Club America - International Champions Cup 2018

This year, Manchester United have set out on tour to the USA as a part of Tour 2018, much like the last few seasons. However, there is one key difference this time around. They have much of their first team squad missing for the pre-season after them being granted the extra holidays for their involvement in the World Cup.

This leaves them without a host of first-team stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, and more.

Some of the first team stars - David De Gea, Nemanja Matic, and new signing Fred, are expected to join the squad on tour. The biggest name so far has been Alexis Sanchez, and even he missed the first match of United's pre-season due to visa issues.

This has meant that several United youngsters have been fielded by Jose Mourinho in the two matches against Club America and San Jose Earthquakes. These youngsters must be relishing this situation and viewing this as an opportunity to catch Mourinho's eye.

Here are three Manchester United youngsters who have impressed in the tour so far:

Tahith Chong

The Dutch youngster has featured in both matches on the tour so far. He came on as a substitute at the hour-mark for Anthony Martial against Club America and looked very lively.

He looked very comfortable on the ball and always appeared positive. He was able to build superb interplays with his team-mates and looked to make something happen every time he got the ball.

It was his cross to Ander Herrera that led to United's equalizer, scored by Juan Mata. Chong's efforts in this match led him to the starting lineup in the next tour match against San Jose Earthquakes.

Expect the young pacy winger to put in a few eye-catching performances in the near future.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Manchester United v San Jose Earthquakes
Fosu-Mensah committing to a tackle - Manchester United v San Jose Earthquakes

Another Dutchman on this list who has impressed at this tour so far, Fosu-Mensah spent the last season on loan at Crystal Palace where he made 21 appearances in the League.

He featured as a substitute in the first tour game against Club America and came on in at the beginning of the second half against San Jose Earthquakes. The youngster looked solid and comfortable at centre-back and made vital stops and interceptions, the most important of which was a goal-line clearance off a Vako effort.

Fosu-Mensah looks to have gained vital experience during his loan spell and would be looking to push for a first-team place at United in the coming season.

Andreas Pereira

Manchester United v Club America - International Champions Cup 2018
Andreas Pereira - Manchester United v Club America - International Champions Cup 2018

This young man has been teasing United fans with his displays over pre-seasons past and present.

He spent the last season on loan at Valencia and has stated that he is ready to fight for a first-team spot at United in the upcoming season. Pereira has been heavily involved in both of United's tour matches so far and rightly so.

He has looked classy in the midfield and has absolutely controlled the proceedings in the last two matches. He demanded the ball all the time and kept the United team organized.

Pereira dropped deep to collect the ball from defence, to spray it forward on several occasions. The most impressive thing about him seemed to be the fact that he oozed confidence. He never seemed to be afraid of making a mistake and if he did make one, he'd try his best to recover.

This man has the potential to be a world class midfielder. Watch out for him in the upcoming tour games and the coming League season.

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Edited by Aadya Sharma
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