Manchester United just continue to unfurl one talented youngster after another this season. With Anthony Martial already making waves with his performances, another prodigious talent in Andreas Pereira got his first senior goal, while Wayne Rooney bagged his first club goal of the season as well as United strolled to a 3-0 win over Ipswich Town in the League Cup third round on Wednesday.
Louis Van Gaal has been criticised, and rightly too, for playing some dour football since taking over at Old Trafford, but the Dutchman looks like he has finally got that "process" going for him the right manner, with Manchester United putting on a solid, professional and sometimes-exciting performance against the Championship club.
Rooney opened the scoring for Manchester United midway through the first half, taking down a long ball from Daley Blind well before providing a measured finish.
It remained 1-0 at halftime and Ipswich gave it a good old go in the early part of the second 45, before a sumptuous freekick from Pereira put paid to hopes of a comeback.
"I asked Juan [Mata] for the ball and he gave it to me," the teenager told MUTV. "We've been practising together and he trusted me. It's very special for me to score my first goal, a freekick at the Stretford End as well.
"It's just like a dream come true. I'm very happy for my family, for impressing my manager and doing well for my club."
With the match as good as done and dusted, Martial came on for Juan Mata, and produced that unerring finish again to take his tally of goals to four from four matches – one against Liverpool, two at Southampton at the weekend and one on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup fourth round – while also ensuring those MK Dons ghosts from last season were well and truly banished for Manchester United.
"Last year we were out in the first game against Milton Keynes away," Van Gaal said. "At that time there were a lot of injuries and I played with my second team. We went out and the fans were not so pleased.
"I thought I should do it in another way. We play also at home so we have to make it enjoyable for the fans as well, our own fans. We have succeeded in doing that and that's a major point for me. We have no injuries, we have won and we are in the next round."
In the fourth round, Manchester United have been given another home game against yet another Championship club – Middlesbrough.
