Chong bow excites Solskjaer as Man Utd maintain perfect start under new boss

Tahith Chong impressed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the exciting teenager talent caught the eye in Manchester United’s FA Cup third round victory over Reading.

The 19-year-old winger was handed his competitive debut during a meeting with the Royals at Old Trafford.

He entered the fold in the 64th minute and offered glimpses of what he is capable of during a productive cameo, with those at Old Trafford having high hopes for the Dutch youngster.

Solskjaer certainly saw enough to suggest that an academy graduate can make more of an impact on a senior stage.

United’s interim boss said of Chong’s bow: “He had two or three really good moments, as you do when you're young.

“You don't run the game as a first performance for a 19-year-old.

“But he got the crowd going, and has shown one or two glimpses of what he can do, he has in training anyway.

“And the game wasn't won, it was 2-0 and was still go out there and perform. It's not like it was 4-0 and it's just a party, so he did well defensively as well and I think he'll remember this for a long, long time.”

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Solskjaer was also pleased to see a much-changed side secure another shutout, while Alexis Sanchez – who picked up a knock – and Romelu Lukaku got more important minutes under their belts.

The Norwegian added: “The pleasing thing is we're through and another clean sheet, 2-0 flatters us a bit because I think they played some great stuff, but then again we could have had three or four towards the end.

“The second goal was excellent with Alexis getting Romelu in, so individual quality managed to get us through, to be fair.”

While Lukaku netted United’s second, their first came from a Juan Mata penalty which was awarded courtesy of assistance from VAR.

Solskjaer was happy to see technology benefit his side, but feels the match officials should have been able to make the spot-kick call by themselves.

He said: “From where I sat it was a clear penalty.

“I didn't need VAR there, but they were probably checking if it was offside or not. Well done by Juan, he gets the ball down and the penalty was well struck.”