Erik ten Hag has handed a full Premier League debut to Omari Forson (Picture: Getty)
Erik ten Hag insists he has full confidence in Omari Forson after handing the teenager his full Manchester United Premier League debut.
United’s injury crisis deepened on Friday when it was confirmed that the injures Rasmus Hojlund had suffered a muscle strain.
The Denmark international has been in a stunning run of form, scoring eight goalsin as many games, but he is set to miss the next fortnight at least.
With Anthony Martial also sidelined, Ten Hag’s attacking options are threadbare and he has been forced to rely on one of the club’s emerging young talents.
Forson has already made three senior appearances this season and made his top flight debut in the dramatic win over Wolves last month as a late substitute.
The 19-year-old was handed a shock start, however, for the visit of Fulham to Old Trafford but Ten Hag is sure the youngster will seize his opportunity.
‘Because he deserves the position,’ said Ten Hag when asked to explain the decision to promote Forson to the starting XI.
Omari Forson will make his first Premier League start for Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
‘Lately, he’s performing very well; over the last half year, he’s worked very hard, showed his progression and when he came on against Wolves and Newport, he had some impact.
“We have to replace Rasmus Hojlund and then you look at what is the best balance for this game, then the progression and development of the players and what they are showing during training sessions.’
United are also without Luke Shaw who could miss the rest of the season after he picked up an injury during last weekend’s win over Luton Town.
Despite attempting to manage a threadbare squad, Ten Hag has masterminded a revival in recent weeks with a run of four straight wins reviving hopes of a top four finish.
The absence of Hojlund certainly represents a blow, but Marcus Rashford is confident United still have the right players at their disposal to keep their fine run of results going.
He said: ‘We’ve obviously got a squad full of different qualities and today is a day where we have to utilize that.
‘It’s a shame for Rasmus but he’s been in top form and hopefully he’s not out for too long and can get back soon.’
More to follow…
Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.