Manchester United Under-21s registered a 2-1 win over Everton at the Walton Hall Park in the Premier League 2 on Friday.
United coach Travis Binnion made a few changes to his side from their midweek 3-0 loss to Lincoln City in the EFL Trophy.
Two of those switches stole the headlines and proved absolutely spot on.
Game time for Tyler Fredricson
Tyler Fredricson returned to the starting XI, making his first academy appearance of the season.
The 20-year-old has been closely tied to the first team since last spring, regularly earning a spot on the Premier League bench.
Burnley were the only side he missed out on before this weekend.
The 20-year-old was given his first start of the season when United travelled to face Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round.
He looked a ‘boy among men’ as he was targeted relentlessly, with Grimsby scoring twice in the first half to send shockwaves through the United fanbase.
Head coach Ruben Amorim had to make changes to his side to inspire a comeback.
Fredricson was one of three players substituted at the break.
Despite completing the majority of his passes, the young defender looked unassured at the back and was positionally caught out multiple times.
With no midweek clashes until December due to the absence of European football, it became almost impossible for Fredricson to get game time over other established centre-backs.
Dropping him back into the U21s was exactly the reset he needed and a chance to rebuild confidence.
Regular minutes at this level could prepare him perfectly for a loan move in January.
Shea Lacey rested
The second correct call United made was to rest Shea Lacey.
His omission from the Everton squad sparked speculation that he might be with the seniors for the Sunderland clash.
Reliable insider Sully Talkz later revealed that while Lacey had trained with Amorim’s men, the teenager was deliberately left out of both squads.
The Red Devils wanted to give him a much-needed rest this weekend after he played his first 90 minutes in two years against Lincoln.
The 18-year-old was also selected in the England Under-20 squad for their upcoming clash with Switzerland.
An injury just before the international fixture would have been a crushing setback for the highly-rated winger.
Stats from Fotmob.com
