The 19-year-old could be the man Louis van Gaal turns to due to an injury crisis in defence. Here’s a few facts on the youngster.
Thanks to injuries to Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, plus a suspension for Tyler Blackett, Manchester United face a serious defensive crisis against West Ham. Michael Carrick, or Darren Fletcher, could drop back, and Luke Shaw should be fit to start but word on the street – or the internet to be fair – is that an Irish defender called Patrick McNair is in the frame for a bit of game time. Here’s what we know about the teenager.
1. Born in Antrim in April 1995, McNair made his name at Ballyclare Colts before moving to Manchester United when he just 16.
2. Originally a midfielder, McNair was converted to being a defender when the Manchester United underage teams suffered a defensive injury crisis.
3. He made his Northern Ireland Under 21 debut earlier this month, as a midfielder, in a 4-1 defeat to Serbia.
4. In a pre-season friendly in July, he scored this goal for a Manchester United XI
5. No 1 when he was born was Take That’s Back For Good. Yep, we’re all really old.
6. He’s so unknown he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. If he plays on Saturday, that will change.
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