Robin van Persie heaps praises on 2 Manchester United stars for their performances this season

Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie recently praised United youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia for their performances this season.

Garnacho has often been used as a substitute this season and has made an impact with his directness and 1v1 ability. Malacia, on the other hand, was a regular fixture at left-back at the start of the campaign and has since been a capable understudy for Luke Shaw.

Speaking about Garnacho's performances this season, Van Persie was effusive in his praise. He said (via Manchester Evening News):

"Garnacho is one to watch, you know he is still very young, a very talented player. If you look how he handles difficult situations, how he handles pressure, how he creates, for his age, especially it is very special."

Garnacho is set to spend a spell on the sidelines. He suffered an ankle ligament injury during Manchester United's Premier League clash against Southampton on March 12.

The 18-year-old has scored four goals and provided five assists in 29 appearances for United's senior team this season.

Tyrell Malacia joined United from Feyenoord Rotterdam in the summer in a deal worth £12.9m. Malacia shared a dressing room with Van Persie at the Dutch club. Speaking about Malacia, Van Persie said:

"Tyrell Malacia, I used to play with him at Feyenoord and I'm really proud of him. The way he does it the way he plays, it's a great example for young talents."

Malacia has made 30 appearances for the Premier League giants this season.

Manchester United stars eager to progress in the FA Cup ahead of quarterfinals clash against Fulham

Manchester United are set to return to action on March 19 when they take on Fulham in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Speaking ahead of the clash, David de Gea gave his opinion on the Red Devils' opponents, saying (via Manchester United's official website):

“I think it is probably one of the best teams in the draw, Fulham have been doing really well this season. At the end it doesn’t matter who we’ll play against because to get to the final and win a trophy we’ll have to beat the best teams in the competition: let’s keep going!”

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes echoed his teammate's sentiments as he said:

"As David said, we have to beat the best to be in the final. Fulham is a really tough team, they’re playing really well with a manager that I know really well."

United will enter the contest on the back of a 1-0 win over Real Betis in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.