Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may reportedly consider exciting young attacking midfielder Angel Gomes as an option at left-back while Luke Shaw is out injured.
According to the Guardian, the Red Devils could now be without Shaw for around five weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
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This is a real blow for Man Utd, who had to rely on Ashley Young in that position as cover for that game, though Solskjaer has other options to explore.
The Guardian claim Gomes could be a surprise choice for the Norwegian tactician, though it’s not clear how much of a priority that would be.
The 18-year-old is a top talent but has mainly played attacking midfield in his career so far, even if it’s perfectly common for players to change roles once they make the step up from youth football to senior level.
Young himself used to be an attacking player for United before dropping back, as did Antonio Valencia before his departure at the end of last season.
It may be that Gomes has shown some potential in training that has persuaded Solskjaer he could also do a job in defence, at least temporarily.