Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag singled out left-back Sergio Reguilon for special praise after revealing that the Spaniard had played through illness in Saturday's 1-0 win at Burnley.
Reguilon, who signed on loan from Tottenham on deadline day to cover for injured pair Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, has already impressed fans with his committed displays so far this month.
Against Burnley, he was back in the starting line-up and played his part as United kept an all-important clean sheet to win 1-0 at Turf Moor.
But his substitution in the 79th minute, when he was replaced by centre-back Raphael Varane, caused some to speculate that he had suffered an injury and Ten Hag was asked about the player after the match.
"Reguilon was ill," the Dutchman told TNT Sports. "And that says a lot about the character and the spirit that this team wants to show.
"He wanted to play. He wanted to support and contribute to the team."
Reguilon joined United in a season-long deal and has been popular so far, but may find first-team opportunities more difficult to come by once Shaw and Malacia return.
The 26-year-old started his career at Real Madrid and has also had loan spells at Sevilla and Atletico in Spain.
At Spurs, he was frozen out under Antonio Conte and now seems unlikely to feature again, with Destiny Udogie impressing in that position under Ange Postecoglou.
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