Solskjaer confirms three Man Utd youngsters will be handed debuts against Astana

Lee Grant, Ethan Laird, Di'Shon Bernard and Dylan Levitt will all be granted full senior debuts for Manchester United against Astana, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

The Red Devils have already booked their place in the Europa League knockout stages after picking up three wins and a draw from their opening four fixtures, to sit top of Group L ahead of AZ.

Solskjaer has the opportunity to rest key personnel when his side travel to Kazakhstan to face Astana, who have yet to pick up a single point in the competition this season.

Ahead of tomorrow's European clash, the United boss has promised to include at least three promising youngsters in his starting line up.

When asked if any new faces will be introduced on Thursday night, Solskjaer told a press conference: "It’s Lee [Grant], you’ll also see [Ethan] Laird, [Di'Shon] Bernard and [Dylan] Levitt from the start so you’ll definitely get a few."

The Norwegian went on to praise third-choice goalkeeper Grant for his "world-class attitude" behind the scenes, insisting that the Englishman is the "fittest" shot-stopper on United's books.

"For a manager like me to have Lee [Grant] to call upon it’s fantastic," Solskjaer added. "He has a world-class attitude.

"He’s probably the fittest of the keepers. He always does extra. He’s a 36-year-old going on 26. I’ve got the perfect goalkeeping department."

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19-year-old defender Max Taylor has also been included in United's latest European squad, 13 months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.

The Manchester-born youngster made a full recovery after a nine-week course of chemotherapy and is now looking forward to his first taste of senior action with the Red Devils.

Solskjaer described Taylor as an "inspiration" for the rest of his team-mates, before expressing a desire to see the teenager take significant steps forward in his professional career after overcoming a life-threatening illness.

"It’s a fantastic story, to see him coming back," said Solskjaer. "I met Max very early after I got the job to have seen his journey and the way he has conducted himself. He’s been through something that nobody should have to go through."

"He's an inspiration for all the players. There’s no fear in him. When you’re on the football pitch you should enjoy yourself and hopefully, we can see him progress in his career. It's a chance for us to give him some extra motivation as well."

After their latest Europa League outing, United will look ahead to Aston Villa's arrival at Old Trafford on Sunday, three days before another crucial Premier League fixture at home to Tottenham.