Man United kid Tahith Chong is a shaggy-haired winger with strength and an eye for goal

He is the shaggy-haired kid who Manchester United supporters have been excited about for some time and Tahith Chong is starting to attract wider attention.

His debut for Ricky Sbragia's Under 23s in defeat by Tottenham on Monday offered the watching Jose Mourinho more than a glimpse of what could be to come.

Here, Sportsmail takes a look at 18-year-old Chong and what United could expect in the future.

What's his story?

Chong signed for United in 2016 from Feyenoord and it had been a long road to get there.

Born in Curacao, the Dutch-Caribbean island just north of Venezuela home to only 140,000 people, Chong moved to Rotterdam at the age of 10 after growing up in Holland.

A rising star through the Feyenoord ranks, United's trailed his progress and eventually made their move two years ago.

First-team manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst even attempted to persuade the youngster to remain at the club but the allure of United proved too powerful.

Where does he play?

Chong's formative years have largely been spent on the wing.

'I describe myself as a typical winger,' he said. 'Left or right, it doesn't matter for me. I like to beat people one-versus-one, or at least I try to. I could work on my goalscoring but I like to link up with the other players, giving assists.'

He started on the right against Tottenham on Monday. United, however, are likely to see how he performs in a more central role and it is not hard to see why.

The Dutchman might have a slight frame but his upper body strength sees him bounce away from markers. A low centre of gravity means he weaves past them too.

But it's not all been easy at United so far?

No, Chong is actually not long back from a serious knee injury and Under 18s manager Kieran McKenna stressed that they would not rush his recovery.

He linked up with the rest of the squad on their pre-season trip to Austria in a bid to keep him involved with the group and only recently made his comeback.

His first start came away at Manchester City one Saturday morning in November, where Chong was head and shoulders above his team-mates.

McKenna's side were beaten 4-1 at the City Football Academy yet Chong scored an early goal and won a penalty just before half-time which Angel Gomes blazed over the bar.

Did Mourinho like what he saw against Tottenham?

Presumably yes. Supporters raved about his performance at Old Trafford. His pressing resulted in the opening goal – with Chong coolly finishing when clean through – and driving from midfield was a highlight.

Perhaps his finest moment that night came when tracking back to lean a Tottenham midfielder off the ball in his own half and then strongly carrying it 40 yards.

There is a picture of a Spurs opponent grimacing as he tries in vain to catch Chong.

And Chong was given some fairly rough treatment, constantly brought down as he tried to jink clear of traffic.

He possibly keeps hold of possession a little too long at times and being on the receiving end of fouls is nothing new.

Chong was recently seen letting Sunderland players know the score, 2-1, with his fingers at the end of a match during which he was constantly targeted.