Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that he could give Mason Greenwood an extended run in the Manchester United team.
The 18-year-old was on target in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Everton, rescuing a point for United after entering the fray as a second-half substitute.
The academy graduate has now scored seven times in 19 appearances in all competitions this season.
However, Greenwood has been restricted to just one Premier League start since the final day of the 2018/19 campaign - although Solskjaer admits he could be given more opportunities in the coming weeks.
"Yes, because he’s making it hard for me to leave him out,” Solskjaer said of the striker's first-team prospects.
"I remember when I came to the club as well [in summer 1996] and I kept scoring a few goals. The manager’s comments were that it was hard to keep players who score out of the team. It’s very difficult now to put a team out there without having Mason in my mind."
Paul Pogba is another player whose involvement has been limited this term, with the France international still sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up in September.
His recovery has now been set back by illness, but Solskjaer insists that the midfielder remains an integral part of his plans.
“Of all things he’s struck down ill now,” he added. “He’s been off for two or three days – three days probably – so that’s not beneficial. That’s probably set him back quite a bit.
“As I’ve said so many times, Paul’s a top player that we want to see playing his best football at Man United. We just need to get him fit and match fit. It might be half an hour, 45, 60, 90 [minutes] – who knows – [in] the first game. We’re working hard to get him back but now he’s ill.”
United travel to Watford in the Premier League this weekend, but first they host Colchester in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
And Solskjaer believes victory in the competition would be a major boost to United's young players.
“It’s massive for a player, the first trophy he wins, no matter which one it is. For me, I remember when Patrice [Evra] and Nemanja Vidic won their first trophy against Wigan [the 2006 League Cup]. They got that feeling and when you get that feeling of winning it’s something you want more and more of.
"This group, we have a few players who won the championship but there’s less and less left of them so for us it would be massive.
“The prize now is getting to a semi-final and then you’re not too far away. The motivation and the attitude will be right on Wednesday definitely.
“For us now it’s a good team that we’re building and would benefit a lot from winning a trophy or getting to a final. We’re going make changes again because there’s so many games. I hope and think the team I’m going to put out is going to be a strong enough one to win a game.
“At home against a League Two side you’re the big favourites and we’ve got to accept that but we have to go out there and earn it.”
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