Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong were all named in a youthful Manchester United side for their Europa League opener against Astana at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Solskjaer had confirmed in his pre-match news conference that 17-year-old Greenwood was set to be joined in the starting XI by out-of-favour Fred and young defender Axel Tuanzebe, but the selections of Gomes and Chong were slightly more surprising.

England youth international Gomes has been highly rated by United for several years and was an unused substitute in the 1-0 win over Leicester City.

Chong looked lively off the bench against the Foxes and is rewarded with a maiden start of the campaign.

Having made four appearances off the bench in the Premier League, Greenwood will lead the line in tandem with Marcus Rashford, while Gomes and Chong will be expected to provide the ammunition.

Brazilian midfielder Fred – like Chong – caught the eye as a substitute at the weekend and he gets an opportunity to kick-start his season after underwhelming last term following a £52 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk.

Similarly, right-back Diogo Dalot comes in for his first start of 2019-20, having struggled with a groin strain since the start of August.