MANCHESTER UNITED gave Shola Shoretire his debut at just 17 years old at the weekend.
And while the academy prospect only had a handful of touches in the dying stages, there was still plenty of talk around the talent.
Shola Shoretire came on for his professional debut at the weekendCredit: PA:Press Association
And one line of conversation was around how to pronounce his surname.
BT Sport commentator Des Kelly went with ‘shore-ea-teery’ phonetically, that had a few United fans wondering whether he had got it all wrong.
One supporter asked ‘where the hell Des Kelly got this pronunciation’ – with the sports journo quick to respond on Twitter.
Kelly answered: “From his Dad. Anything else I can help you with?”
The United wonderkid, 17, was being courted by the likes of European giants Barcelona and Juventus before he signed his first professional deal with the Red Devils recently.
Shoretire was then fast-tracked to the first team and added to the club’s Europa League squad ahead of their tie against Spanish side Real Sociedad.
He sat on the bench against Sociedad in Europe, but his patience prevailed as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought him on against Newcastle in the league, handing the youngest his pro debut.
Shoretire replaced Marcus Rashford with just a minute to go but got a sense of the big-time at Old Trafford.
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Shoretire replaced Marcus Rashford for the final minute of the game agaisnt NewcastleCredit: Eddie Keogh Telegraph Media Group
After the game Rashford sent a classy message to Shoretire after his debut.
Alongside a heart emoji, he tweeted: “Cherish this moment for ever little bro. Your family must be very proud.”
Speaking post-match, England hero Rashford added: “It’s in our DNA, it’s what we do at Man United.
“It’s important our kids know when they’re good enough, [they know] they’re old enough.
“Shola has been training with us now for a little while, and has done really well, [this] was the next step up.
“In the last transfer window we let a few players go out on loan, which made the path for him shorter and I’m sure he’ll remember his five or six minutes on the pitch tonight.”
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Man United wonderkid Shola Shoretire scores ‘brilliant’ goal vs Wigan U18 at just 16
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
