Why it's time for Solskjaer to put real faith in Greenwood, Chong and Gomes at Man Utd

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has angered Manchester United fans with his refusal to throw Mason Greenwood, Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes into the fray.

Posted Sunday, September 15, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Why it's time for Solskjaer to put real faith in Greenwood, Chong and Gomes at Man Utd

Manchester United have named a homegrown player in every matchday squad since October 1938.

It has become a proud tradition, a statistic which reflects the faith placed in youth at Carrington even in the modern era.

There is no hiding Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s veneration for such philosophies of the club, which he experienced first-hand under the great Sir Alex Ferguson.

From the first day Solskjaer returned to Old Trafford as manager he waxed lyrical about United’s proud past - but his implementation of those cherished morals have been questionable.

Despite three shrewd summer signings, there are still big problems in United’s starting 11.

The departures of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera in the last nine months have opened the door to new options in midfield, while the summer sales of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez have left United short up front.

Waiting - and vying - in the wings to break into the starting line-up are 19-year-olds Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes, and Mason Greenwood, 17.

But only Greenwood has featured this season, for a combined total of 47 minutes from the bench.

If results on the pitch were going well then it would be understandable, but five points after four games has sparked the appetite for change among the Old Trafford faithful.

Heading into this weekend’s tough home test against Leicester, Solskjaer hinted the trio may be given a chance to shine with Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard out through injury.

“It's a good test, it's a great test and a great challenge for our players who want to push on,” Solskjaer said ahead of the game.

“A few players are out, so the others can step up. Here's your chance.

“That's the thing here. The young kids do get chances and when they take them, it can be life-changing.”

Come 2pm on Saturday, not one of the three attack-minded players was named in the starting line-up.

Behind the striker, a position which Gomes favours, is Juan Mata who, despite his skill and popularity, has not been able to find the key with which he unlocked deep-lying defences for years.

On Chong’s favoured right-wing is Andreas Pereira, a fellow youth product now 23 years of age who, through being given the opportunity, has largely shown he should be utilised as a squad player by Solskjaer.

And up front, Greenwood, who Solskjaer has branded the best striker at the club, misses out to Rashford, who looks more at home on the left-wing this season.

Most (sane) United followers are not asking for all three youngsters to be thrown into the fray all at once, but in times like these, especially with senior players injured, it feels like a Manchester United thing to do.

They may not become world-beaters - but it’s at the point where it’s worth the risk. In some areas, it can’t get much worse.