The father of Manchester United starlet Angel Gomes has stated that his son is "coveted" by "all the greats in Europe", after the 17-year-old announced himself on the world stage as part of England's Under-17 World Cup triumph.

All his qualities are really above average

It has been no secret that United have one of the most famous and successful youth academies in the world, and Gomes is one of a handful of fledglings both at academy and first-team level that look to shape The Red Devils for years to come.

Gomes made history last season by becoming the club's youngest debutant as he came on in the 2-0 final day victory over Crystal Palace, and his efforts at the academy level were rewarded with the Academy Young Player of the Year Award for the 2016/17 season.

The 17-year-old's raw talent came to light once again as he played a huge part in the England U17's success at the World Cup beating Spain 5-2 on Saturday, the main concern for United will be that Gomes has yet to sign an extension at Old Trafford and Angel's farther Gil has stated that Europe's elite will be interested in his son.

"He is the youngest player in the history of English football of Manchester United," he told RTP. "So the qualities are really above average."

"And today," Gomes senior added. "He is a player coveted by all the greats of Europe."

Sure he'll have a fine career

Focus for United will now return to Europe's most coveted competition the Champions League as they welcome Benfica to the Theatre of Dreams, United aren't the only side that has seen the spotlight turned on their youngsters as Benfica's young goalkeeper Mile Svilar is expected to once again to take up position between the sticks.

Svilar made history on the last matchday as he broke Iker Casillas' record to become the youngest goalkeeper to debut in the competition, however his opening bout didn't quite go to plan as his carried Marcus Rashford's swinging cross over the line to hand United the narrow 1-0 victory.

His counterpart David De Gea had a similar experience when he made his European debut for Atlético Madrid back in 2009, and ahead of Tuesday's clash the Spaniard offered advice to the young Belgian.

“Yes, I did have sympathy for him,” David explained in Saturday’s edition of United Review. “But then that’s the life of a goalkeeper for you."

"It can be tough especially when you are so young and make a big mistake," the Spaniard stated. "But in the end you just have to live with it and learn from the errors that you make."

"He’s just a young lad and he’s only just starting out his career," De Gea concluded. "And I’m sure he’ll be fine."

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About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.