Manchester United youngster Axel Tuanzebe must be patient after Blackburn snub

Five talking points from Man Utd's 2-0 defeat vs Reading at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday.

Reality sets in

Just two weeks after making his first team debut against Wigan at Old Trafford, reserves captain Axel Tuanzebe was brought back down to earth at Leigh Sports Village.
The 19-year-old may have felt a tad unlucky to be left out of Jose Mourinho's squad for the short trip up the M61 to Ewood Park.
But, with Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly the only centre-backs to have travelled, Tuanzebe will have to be patient - even with the Reds' fixture pile-up. Mourinho clearly has a plan for Tuanzebe - and that means easing him in gently.

Mitchell making his mark

Manchester United's reserves have suffered since the departures of Sean Goss and Joe Riley in January, but try telling that to Demetri Mitchelll.
The 20-year-old was a menace at left-back against Reading, constantly pushing forward and looking to support his team-mates on the overlap.
And given his experience as a winger, Mitchell is blessed with the attacking instincts and nimble footwork to be a modern day full-back.
He has a while to go yet, but he only needs to look at how Antonio Valencia and Patrice Evra reinvented themselves as defenders for inspiration.

Ghosts from the past

At a time when Manchester United are lacking a real focal point up top, Reading marksman Sam Smith came back to haunt his former club.

The 18-year-old left Old Trafford for the Royals in 2014 and was a real handful up front against some of his ex-team-mates.
The striker's looping header sealed all three points for the visitors and it was noticeable how Reading used the dark arts to get over the line.
Without contact, Andrija Novakovich got in the way of goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara as the ball went over his head.
It was the kind of canny play United's reserves may need to tap into in their battle against the drop.

Defence run ragged

In the three games Regan Poole has missed since being sent off in last month's Manchester derby, Manchester United have conceded 10 goals.
Not even Tuanzebe, with all his recent first team experience and leadership, could keep Reading out at Leigh Sports Stadium.
United's backline look ragged every time the Royals broke at pace and if your team does not have a natural striker, that is a recipe for disaster.
Poole may have had his moments this season, but the Welsh youngster is a better alternative at the back than midfielder Charlie Scott.

Life after Joyce

Manchester United have won just two games since former reserves boss Warren Joyce became Wigan manager on November 2.
In that time, the Reds have plummeted to ninth place in Premier League Division 2 and there has been little interim boss Nicky Butt has been able to do with such stretched resources
United are taking their time in getting the right man in, but he faces an unenviable task as things stand.