Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s faith in Manchester United’s younger players proves “age is just a number”, says midfielder Scott McTominay.
United’s 4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday featured a starting XI with an average age of 24 years and 227 days – the youngest average of any of the 20 teams in the opening weekend.
“Experience is important, but young players are hungry,” McTominay said.
“Because somebody’s played more doesn’t mean they’ll get ahead of you.”
McTominay, 22, was one of six starters under the age of 25, while 28-year-old goalkeeper David de Gea was the oldest in the line-up.
The Scottish midfielder added: “There’s no first name on the team-sheet and there’s no given they’ll play in every match – that’s the sign of a healthy dressing room.
“Age is just a number. When you see [Paris St-Germain’s] Kylian Mbappe and [United team-mate] Marcus Rashford play at such a young age, doing amazing things it’s a credit to them. They just play.”
Having made his league debut under former United manager Jose Mourinho towards the end of the 2016-17 season, McTominay made a further 23 appearances the following season, which included four Champions League matches.
He was the subject of loan interest during the last January transfer window having featured once in the league after Solskjaer had taken the reins in December. However, McTominay went on to make a further 14 appearances under the Norwegian.
United are at Wolves on Monday, with kick-off at 20:00 BST.
You can watch the full interview on Football Focus, Saturday, BBC One, 12:00 BST
