Manchester United wonderkid Ethan Wheatley revealed captain Bruno Fernandes urged him to go out and get a debut goal despite his first senior run-out being a brief one.
Wheatley, 18, made his first appearance under Erik ten Hag in Wednesday night's victory over Sheffield United in the Premier League. He was an unused substitute for United's league draw with Bournemouth and their dramatic FA Cup semi-final victory over Coventry, and it was third time lucky as he replaced Rasmus Hojlund to make his senior bow.
The teenager became United's 250th academy graduate to feature for the first team, having recently bagged a hat-trick in a 9-1 win for United's under-18s at Liverpool. He entered the fray late on, moments after the fourth official's board wend up to show nine added minutes, and with three points all but guaranteed.
There wasn't time to score, despite his skipper's encouragement and best efforts. "Bruno pulled me to the side and told me I’ve got nine minutes to try get you a goal,” Wheatley recalled after the game.
United supporters were delighted to see more academy representation in the senior side. "Seeing a young player from the academy make it to the senior team is what football is all about," wrote one fan on social media.
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"It's a testament to his talent and perseverance," was the verdict from another. "Buzzing for Wheatley, I have high hopes for him. What a talent," wrote a third.
While Wheatley wasn't able to cap his debut with a goal, Erik ten Hag's team still took all three points. They twice trailed, with Jayden Bogle and Ben Brereton Diaz scoring either side of a Harry Maguire equaliser, but two goals from Fernandes and one from Hojlund secured victory.
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Bruno Fernandes scored two of Manchester United's goals in their 4-2 victory (Manchester United via Getty Imag)"We put ourselves in a position where it's tough to win games," Fernandes said of his team's performance (via The BBC). "But also it shows a bit of character.
"We also need to be aware that if we control the game like we did in the first half, we have to score our chances. We're scoring lots of goals. It's just about that compactness we need to have as a team.
"I'm really happy to score, but I want to win games more than score goals. It's part of my role also, to score goals. But the main thing for me is winning games. Lately we haven't won as many as we should have.
"It's part of the job. You can win eight or nine games in a row, and then as soon as you lose you know you will be criticised. Being a Manchester United player demands winning games."
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