Man United fans urge club to cancel transfer plans after what they saw vs Atletico Madrid

Manchester United supporters are demanding the club cancel their transfer plans after what they saw in the win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Michael Carrick's men beat Atleti 2-1 at the Strawberry Arena in Solna, with Bryan Mbeumo scoring twice in the second half.

There was a lot to like from United's perspective, with Mason Mount churning in a particularly impressive performance in midfield and new signing Andrey Santos showing off his qualities.

19-year-old youngster Shea Lacey caught the eye and won the penalty for the equaliser. Fellow youngsters JJ Gabriel, Jack Fletcher, Ethan Williams and Dan Armer also got valuable minutes in the tank.

But there was also a brief cameo for another academy prospect, with Jim Thwaites coming on for Santos in the 82nd minute.

While he didn't have too much time to show what's he all about, it was enough to make a huge impression on many United fans.

Sitting in midfield, Thwaites displayed a fine range of passing and looked extremely comfortable on the ball - regularly looking to play forward at every available opportunity.

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United signed two midfielders in Santos and Youri Tielemans following on from Casemiro's Inter Miami switch and Manuel Ugarte's serious knee injury.

Even with Mount and Kobbie Mainoo as further options, they have been linked with a third player in the same position but having seen what Thwaites is all about, plenty believe he can be useful this term.

As someone who played that role with distinction, Carrick knows all about the abilities required.

One user on X wrote: "Thwaites I’ve seen enough we don’t need another midfielder."

A second said: "Jim Thwaites is a better player than every midfielder in that young team. He deserves more chances than the Fletcher twins. A very calm baller.

A third added: "Did you see that one-time pass from Thwaites to Amass?"

A fourth user stated: "Watched enough of Thwaites in the last 2 seasons to know he is a very confident lad with immense promise and by far the most technically gifted box to box midfielder we have in the academy. Atleast imo.

A final person commented: "Liked what I saw from Thwaites."

Two academy players at the front of Man United first-team queue

After the Atleti win, Carrick spoke with pride at being able to bring on both 15-year-old Gabriel and 18-year-old Thwaites.

"Jimmy and JJ coming on are two younger players again," Carrick said.

"They had a first taste of it for us, so it's great for me to be in a position to give the opportunities to the boys."

The pair are likely still a bit far away from making a significant contribution in the first-team set-up, but according to Simon Stone of the BBC, Lacey and Tyler Fletcher - twin brother of Jack - are the two prospects likely to feature the most.

Lacey had five appearances in the first-team last season, while Fletcher played twice.

Fletcher headed to the World Cup with Scotland as a late replacement for the injured Billy Gilmour and showed his desire by returning to United training a week earlier than expected.