Diego Leon makes debut for United U-21s but 18-yo magician steals the show, he is destined for the very top

Manchester United u21s hosted a PFA squad of free agents at Carrington with both teams playing out to a 1-1 draw.

Here are our player ratings for the match. Read the detailed match report of all the action here.

(A score of 6 is around average)

Will Murdock – 6.5 – Was caught out by Connor Wickham’s strike from the halfway line but followed it up with a big save on Wickham later on to deny him a second goal.

James Overy – 7 – A driving force from the back, he looked to launch quick attacks with balls into the channels which caught the opposition off guard and did well going forward.

Albert Mills – 7.5 – Looked to have a little trouble with Wickham early on but quickly found his feet and did really well against an experienced pro. Showed great strength against bigger opponents like Hamzah Kargbo in the second half to sweep up any danger before it happened.

Jacob Watson – 7 – As a 16 year old who has yet to make a competitive start at u18s level, he performed excellently against senior opposition. Had one lapse of concentration while defending a deep ball into space but was consistent otherwise and very composed in possession of the ball.

Diego Leon – 6 – Struggled to get involved at times which saw him drift from position to try and see the ball but just lacked the connection with the other players, who he will have had limited training time with. Came inside and had one shot blocked and also drew a foul with some good footwork.

Jayce Fitzgerald – 7 – Exerted control on the midfield with great composure to play quick but accurate and tough in challenges which saw United control the match throughout the 90 minutes.

Jim Thwaites – 7 – Showed a good range of passing, especially with quick balls out to the right wing where United found their most joy.

Shea Lacey – 8.5 – The main star of the show, he had his marker backing off every time he touched the ball. Drifting inside our taking the ball to the byline on the outside, he was a danger throughout. Scored a fantastic goal late in the first half and could have potentially had another with a bit more luck. Has missed a lot of time with injuries in the past year but you couldn’t tell from his level of play.

Amir Ibragimov – 6.5 – A couple of good driving runs but not enough impact in the final third from the number 10 position.

Sam Mather – 6.5 – Did well coming inside to link up with the midfield and provided good delivery from corners but lacking the end product at times.

Victor Musa – 6 – Made some good runs and got into dangerous positions but his finishing let him down.

Substitutes

Jack Fletcher – 7 – Immediately found acres of space in the middle of the pitch with quick turns and made it look easy, controlling the play from deep. His tight control invited some heavy challenges from the opposition who couldn’t get near him without committing a foul.

James Bailey – 6 – In a slower paced second half, he was one of the few trying to force through a winner but overdid it at times with passes that weren’t on and could have done with a bit more composure. Made a great run late on but couldn’t trouble the keeper with his shot.

Jaydan Kamason – 6.5 – Came on in a more advanced right wing role and did really well dribbling out of tight spaces to retain possession and put in a couple of decent crosses.

Jariyah Shah – 6.5 – Did well to get on the end of a couple of half chances in the box and kept it simple when dropping deeper in midfield.

Junior Brown – 6 – Looked lively on the left wing with a few good runs including one which saw him play a smart cutback to Shah inside the area which could have been an assist with more luck.

Jayden Ngwashi – 6 – Wasn’t troubled much defensively and kept the ball moving in possession.

Yuel Helafu – 6.5 – Linked up well with Kamason on the right and did well to evade pressure and retain possession.

Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images

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