McTominay: Age is just a number, look at Mbappe & Rashford

The Old Trafford academy graduate is embracing the emphasis Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is placing on players of potential and promise

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is taking inspiration from the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford, with “age just a number” to a generation of young stars looking to catch the eye.

Plenty of other sides have done similar, with exciting youngsters to be found across Europe, with McTominay embracing the mindset being adopted by leading outfits as they give the stars of tomorrow freedom to express themselves alongside more seasoned performers.

He told BBC Sport: "It's so important to have experienced players in your squad like we've got.

"We've got players who've won titles and many trophies, but young players are there as well and they are hungry to compete for their place in the team.

"Just because someone's played more games than you, it doesn't mean they're always going to get in ahead of you.

"It's about who does the business on the pitch and I feel everybody has got that message in their own head.

"It's not a given that you're going to play every single match. But that's the sign of a healthy dressing room.

"Age is just a number when you see people like Mbappe and Marcus Rashford.

"At such a young age, they are doing amazing things. They just play, like they did when they were younger."

United’s class of 2019 looked impressive against Chelsea, with a clinical performance delivered in the final third of the field.

Solskjaer’s side were devastating on the counter against the Blues, with McTominay hoping for more of the same across the rest of the season – starting on Monday when the Red Devils look to right the wrongs of two 2-1 defeats they suffered away at Wolves in 2018-19.

The Scot added: "It [the Chelsea game] looked like it could be four, five, six-nil the way we were going.

"It's important we do take confidence from that, but it is one football match.

"It is one game where we've put that into practice and it's come off. But there's a lot more games coming up where we have to keep that same mentality."