Who is Tahith Chong? The prodigy of Manchester United who could come back to haunt Chelsea

A surprise name could make an appearance for Manchester United in their draw of the fifth round of the FA Cup in Chelsea tonight.

The Red Devils were hit hard by the news that Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard did not travel to London after being injured in the 2-0 defeat of Paris Saint-Germain last week.

With his advanced options somewhat stretched, United Acting Director Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named the talented young Tahith Chong to the roving group. There is a chance that he can play at Stamford Bridge.

This is not the first time Chong has been part of United's first team this season.

He made it against Juventus in the Champions League in October, during the 2-0 Premier League win over Newcastle United in early 2019 and made his senior debut in the FA Cup third round against Reading.

That said, here's all that Chelsea fans need to know about the teenager who could make his first senior start for the Red Devils tonight.

Who is he?

Born in Willemstad, the capital of the Caribbean island of Curacao, Chong is a 19-year-old winger who grew up in the Netherlands and was part of Feyenoord's youth since the age of 10.

He joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016 and immediately had the opportunity to play in the under-18 squad, although his first season ended prematurely after suffering a crucial injury that left him in the ### Kept on the sidelines for nearly a year.

Since then, Chong has fully recovered and is presented as one of the stars of United's future.

Who else was interested before Chong joined Manchester United?

A number of Premier League clubs would follow Chong while he was in Feyenoord

At one point, the Blues were found in pole position for his signature, but the Red Devils were robbed, which means that tonight they could see for themselves what they have missed.

The story of how United has invaded the city has been explained.

"Tahith was spotted when he was 14 or 15 years old and was playing in a tournament in Carrington, which was once the Nike Premier Cup," said Derek Langley at the Manchester Evening News. . "He had already been informed by our Dutch scouts, I followed him to this tournament, then all over Europe.

"Tahith's parents would be the first to tell you that her form had dropped slightly due to growth problems, so at that time I just shot.

"He was about to sign for Chelsea and I managed to convince his parents and the boy that his future was at United."

Where does he play?

Regarded as a potential substitute for Anthony Martial on the left, it could be that Chong replaces Jesse Lingard on the opposite side if Solskjaer made the bold decision in early adolescence.

He played left in his youth, but, like the Frenchman, the Dutchman prefers to get closer to his strongest foot – the left foot – and has mainly figured on United's right flank.

Chong also has eye for the goal with seven goals under his belt in all competitions this season.

What was said about Chong?

"Tahith has a proven track record since coming here and I think he's just a fantastic professional, he has the right attitude to the training and is doing very well," said Kieran McKenna, the former manager of United U18, via the Manchester Journal of the evening.

"He's really friendly and good with the staff and the players, which helped him to get settled quickly." In the field, everyone was excited by his performances; catchy player.

"We will just continue to push him to add to that a final product so that he can add goals and aids, as he has done, and can have a bright future in the game."

"He was good, he came with the intention of showing, and at a time when we did not have scorers in the field, Martial was the only one, and then he left. people to create, have an initiative, what he did, "said former Man United director Jose Mourinho.

"The action for the cross for the purpose is a nice action." He was enthusiastic, he was confident to play.

"Of course, physically, he has his limits, and when he has one more contact and that he allows this contact with the body, of course, he loses it, but when he moves the balloon and attack people one against the other, he has quality.He's a good kid. "

What did Man United fans say about Chong?

Some Man United fans have fully supported the fact that Chong is against the Blues.

When it became clear that Martial was going to miss his trip to the capital, the most logical replacement for the Frenchman was Alexis Sanchez, despite his difficulties since his arrival from Arsenal more than 12 months ago.

However, a large portion of United's fans sent a message to Solskjaer before the Chelsea match and was not good news for the Chilean striker.

According to a poll conducted on the Twitter account Manchester United MEN on Twitter, 42% of supporters said that they would prefer to see Tahith Chong, 19, start left against the West London team at the place of Alexis.

Marcus Rashford was the second favorite choice of fans behind Chong, while Sanchez received 19% of the vote and Juan Mata, 5%.

This proves how much the 19-year-old is one of United's fans.

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