Β© REUTERS
In the last matches of the Champions League group stage, "Manchester United" did not fight for anything. The "Red Devils" had secured the first place in the group, and Ralf Rangnick gave a chance for several debutants to play in the main team. In the match against "Young Boys," the following "Manchester United" players made their debut: Charlie Savage, Teden Mengi, Anthony Elanga, Shola Shoretire, Zidane Iqbal, and Tom Heaton. Charlie Savage stepped onto the field in the 89th minute of the game. Charlie is the son of well-known former footballer Robbie Savage. Robbie is currently a BT Sport football expert, commentator, and has played for teams such as "Birmingham City" and "Leicester City" during his career. Robbie was also part of the "Manchester United" team for a while (3 years), but never debuted for the "Red Devils." However, yesterday his son had such an opportunity, which was an emotional moment on BT Sport.
Together with C. Savage, Zidane Iqbal also stepped onto the field in the 89th minute. This 18-year-old defender is only the second Iraqi to have played at least one minute in the Champions League. Z. Iqbal was born in England, but his roots are in Pakistan and Iraq, representing the latter team at youth national levels.
Yesterday, another player fulfilled his dream, veteran Tom Heaton. The goalkeeper, who belonged to the "Manchester United" club for 8 years, since 2002, had the opportunity to debut only yesterday. The 35-year-old goalkeeper left a strong mark in the Premier League since 2013, representing teams like "Burnley" and "Aston Villa," impressing football fans with his reflexes and saved shots.
T. Heaton replaced Dean Henderson in the 68th minute yesterday. Such a goalkeeper substitution is quite unusual, but R. Rangnick still gave the veteran a chance to debut. Teden Mengi, Anthony Elanga, and Shola Shoretire are also products of the "Manchester United" academy, who had an incredible evening yesterday.
Special attention should be paid to Anthony Elanga. This 19-year-old forward had previously debuted in the Premier League and yesterday played the full 90 minutes against "Young Boys" in the Champions League match, from the start.
π Manchester United academy graduates who made their #UCL debuts against BSC Young Boys:
π΄ Charlie Savage (18)
π΄ Zidane Iqbal (18)
π΄ Teden Mengi (19)
π΄ Anthony Elanga (19)
π΄ Shola Shoretire (17)
π΄ Tom Heaton (35).
πͺπππ π«π΅π¨...πβ€οΈ #MUFC pic.twitter.com/EK8Wx4iahL
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) December 9, 2021
