Faith in young players has been a recurring theme of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's stint as Manchester United manager, and Brandon Williams has emerged as the latest promising talent to gain from that philosophy.

Benefiting from Luke Shaw's long-term injury and Ashley Young's domestic suspension, the 19-year-old got the nod at No.3 in the Red Devils' Sunday win over Brighton and took his chance to impress with a dogged and determined yet well-rounded performance that prompted rave reviews from the United faithful.

Having recorded the most-tackles and joint-second-most interceptions of any United player against the Seagulls - four and two respectively - some fans were very quick to point out the teenager's tenacity, one declaring that he "plays like a lion" and another noting the "fire in his belly".

But this was indeed a multi-dimensional display that saw Williams contribute going forward as well, including a shot from inside the box that must have stung Mat Ryan's hands even if it was a little too central to cause serious problems.

The England U20 also completed one dribble, created one chance and had a passing accuracy of 85%, which lead United fans to draw comparisons with some of the all-time greats of the left-back trade who were known for their offensive impact - namely United's very own Patrice Evra and Denis Irwin, as well as Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos.

But perhaps most significantly, Sunday's performance has seen a number of United fans insist that Williams should hold down the left-back berth going forward, ahead of two far more senior alternatives in Shaw and Young (three including the versatile Marcos Rojo).

Whether Solskjaer will show the same faith in Williams as these United fans remains to be seen - Young is his captain, after all.

But considering David De Gea was the oldest player in his last starting lineup at a mere 29, clearly opportunities for young prospects is still the flavour of the month at Old Trafford.