Man Utd teenager wows on international duty and sets new goalscoring record

Manchester United will be looking to get back to winning ways when the Premier League returns this weekend, but first they will be hoping their players can return injury-free from the international break.

And one of their youngsters in particular has had a more than decent break from domestic proceedings, breaking one goalscoring record for his nation and already closing in on another one.

Man United players away on international duty

The Red Devils have several players away playing for their countries in this two-week international break, and they will be praying their players can return fit, firing and full of renewed confidence.

Erik ten Hag has a side full of established international players, so it isn’t any surprise to see that four of the his five new signings are away with their countries – Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui.

Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes have just finished their international duty with Portugal, with their pair both impressing in the last two weeks, as Dalot scored in Portugal’s win over Croatia last week and Fernandes scored in their 2-1 win over Scotland on Sunday evening.

Ten Hag will be keeping an eye on Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo, who will both be looking to keep their place in England’s starting XI against Finland on Tuesday night.

Lisandro Martínez and Alejandro Garnacho will be hoping to play a significant part in Argentina’s match against Columbia on Tuesday, but the United boss is likely just praying they return to Carrington on time and fit. United also have James Scanlon away on international duty with Gibraltar, and the young man will be returning to Old Trafford full of confidence.

James Scanlon scores for Gibraltar vs Liechtenstein

Scanlon, who has yet to make his senior debut for Manchester United or even permanently break into the under-21 line-up, has however burst onto the international stage with Gibraltar and is definitely catching the eye.

The 17-year-old has now earned six caps for Gibraltar’s senior side, and the winger grabbed his first goal for his country by scoring against Liechtenstein on Sunday, becoming his country’s youngest ever scorer and prompting one MUFC academy writer to say “this is nuts”.

Scanlon, who played in United’s pre-season this summer, is remarkably already now just five goals away from becoming his country’s record goalscorer, as that currently stands at six, with Liam Walker currently leading the way.

Scanlon has been on the books at Old Trafford since joining the club from Derby County in March 2021, and since then, he has been working his way up the club’s youth teams. The 17-year-old has played 33 times for the under-18s, during which he has scored 11 goals and recorded five assists. Scanlon has also played ten times for the club’s under-21s.

The United gem was used as a right-back during pre-season, but the 17-year-old’s preferred position is more advanced, with him being a more natural winger who likes to score goals and create chances for his teammates. Scanlon is now just six games into his international career and could become the country’s leading goalscorer very soon, as he needs just five goals to equal the leading tally.