Youngsters will learn a lot: Grant

MANCHESTER United goalkeeper Lee Grant believes the club’s youngsters will bounce back strongly from Thursday’s Europa League loss in Kazakhstan.

Even with the 36-year-old making his first start between the sticks, the line-up against Astana was the youngest the club have ever put out for a European match.

An own goal by Di’Shon Bernard, one of six debutants in Nur-Sultan, proved United’s undoing in a shock 2-1 loss to the perennial Kazakh champions — a match that provided important lessons for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s youngsters.

“They will take a lot out of it,” goalkeeper Grant (below) said after becoming United’s oldest European debutant.

“Just being out there in a Man United shirt, it’s a really fantastic experience.

It’s not one that comes that often.

“Hopefully it gives those boys something really to aim for as well as the rest of the academy and the young boys in the set-up because it’s important for them to see the pathway at the football club.

“Technically they’re all capable and they showed that throughout the 90 minutes.”

Things would have been different in freezing Nur-Sultan had

Tahith Chong not wasted a glorious chance to add to Jesse Lingard’s opener moments before Dmitri Shomko levelled. Ultimately Bernard’s own goal was the difference, but Grant does not believe that should detract from a fine first appearance by the defender.

“There’s absolutely no need to rally around him because he’s smart enough to know that he’s actually played really well,” the goalkeeper said.

“I’ve just watched both goals back and his positioning is excellent and the second one is unbelievable. It’s one of those things. It’s really difficult for him to predict that outcome.”