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The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the last 16 tie in Spain and now with a place in the quarter-finals is now up for grabs manager Ruben Amorim has called upon some of the club’s young talent to try and make a difference. Injuries remain rife in the United squad and this could be the perfect chance the pair need to make an impact and show their worth to the Portuguese head coach.
Fredricson is a central defender and has captained the Under-19's this season and will cover for Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro who are ruled out for the tie. Meanwhile, Scanlon is a midfielder and is able to play as one of the number tens in the Amorim system which could help struggling strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee who have been lackluster in front of goal.
Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are out of action in midfield, which leaves a hole for Scanlon to fill in game where he could really make a name for himself. The 18-year-old will be helped by the fact that Chido Obi is ineligible for the tournament after being left out of the squad which will make Scanlon the first choice off the bench when Amorim needs to add more creativity in midfield.
After bagging seventeen goals and seven assists across all competitions for the academy side, Scanlon could be exactly what United needs to push through to the next round of the competition and chase down silverware in what has been a very underwhelming season so far for Amorim’s side. Both teenagers should get their chance on Thursday night in what is arguably the club’s most important game until the end of the season.