Man United teenager Ethan Wheatley to be named on the bench for Bournemouth clash… after the 18-year-old striker impressed by scoring a hat-trick in U18’s 9-1 win against Liverpool
- Man Utd names teenager Ethan Wheatley on the bench against Bournemouth
- The striker is impressed by Erik ten Hag’s performances in the youth teams
- IAN LADYMAN and CHRIS SUTTON have their say on the Premier League Player of the Year – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Manchester United will bench teenager Ethan Wheatley for Saturday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth.
The 18-year-old is a regular in United’s Under-21 and Under-18 squads and will be promoted to the first team for the first time when the club visits the Vitality Stadium.
United are already without Anthony Martial, while there are doubts over the fitness of Marcus Rashford, leaving Erik ten Hag without any attacking options.
Earlier this month, Wheatley put his credibility under pressure by scoring a hat-trick in United Under-18s’ 9-1 defeat by Liverpool Under-18s.
He signed his first professional contract with United in January, just after his 18th birthday, and could be ready for a debut in the teatime clash.
Teenage striker Ethan Wheatley is on the bench for the first time against Bournemouth
Erik ten Hag has called up the striker after a number of impressive performances for the club’s youth sides
Wheatley (centre) scored a hat-trick in United Under-18’s 9-1 defeat to Liverpool this month
The young striker’s performances in United’s youth sides have also seen him start for England at Under-17 level.
As well as fitness issues in attack, Ten Hag are also missing a number of key names as they make the trip to the south coast, still clinging to their dim Champions League hopes – especially in defence.
Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are all unavailable for the game.
Marcus Rashford is doubtful for the match against Bournemouth, leaving United short in attack
They are also concerned about the fitness of midfielder Scott McTominay as they look for their first win in three games.
United came into the match on the back of a pulsating 2-2 draw with Liverpool, having previously lost 4-3 to Chelsea and before that a 1-1 draw with Brentford.
They will be looking for revenge against the Cherries after beating Ten Hag’s men 3-0 in the reverse fixture in December.
