Gomes takes the plaudits after England win

One of our many treasured youth-team graduates came on for Kobbie Mainoo in the win over Republic of Ireland at the weekend and followed it up by starting in the second UEFA Nations League encounter, affording a rest for our no.37.

Angel became United's youngest-ever Premier League player when replacing Wayne Rooney in the game against Crystal Palace in 2017 and went on to make 10 first-team appearances for his boyhood club.

He left to join Lille in 2020 and, after an initial loan spell at Boavista in Portugal, has developed into a top operator.

116 – Angel Gomes is the only player on record (since 2008-09) to complete 100+ passes on his first start for England (116/124). Guardian. pic.twitter.com/0GpbxNesJ1

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 11, 2024

Gomes has always been involved with England's younger age groups and his former Under-21s boss Lee Carsley is a firm believer in his obvious talents.

The 24-year-old was a metronomic presence at the heart of the engine room on Tuesday night, completing 116 of his 124 passes, and setting the tone for the Three Lions. While Harry Kane's two goals marked his 100th cap in style and dominated the headlines, there was plenty of praise for the former Red.

"He fully deserves it and it's good that the performance you've seen today, we've seen over the last three or four years," commented Carsley at his press conference. "It's important he keeps working hard, like he will do, and keeps playing over in France because it'll be a tough difficult squad to keep getting into."

Ex-England skipper Stuart Pearce described Gomes's display as one of the most accomplished full senior debuts for the nations he had seen, while Ian Wright enthused about his touch and the fact he was constantly available to receive possession. Fellow ITV pundit Roy Keane, our former captain, agreed Angel's emergence will provide a selection headache for Carsley in the coming internationals.

Carsley also referenced the 2017 Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year's sheer devotion to the game, something he shared with us in his United Unscripted piece in 2020, when also detailing his relationship with former crowd pleaser Nani.

"He absolutely loves football," added the interim England manager. "He watches football, he's interested in tactics, he knows all the players in any league.

"If you ask him for any feedback, you need to be prepared that he is going to give you some feedback on the session or how we're going to build up, or the positions.

"He'll help in terms of he will often say about some build-ups that he's done at other clubs or what he's played against, because obviously he's playing in France so he sees different things."

England's next games are already on the horizon, with more Nations League action to come next month.

The Euro 2024 runners-up welcome group leaders Greece to Wembley on 10 October, before travelling to Finland three days later.

Everybody within the Academy will continue to watch his progress with pride.