Manchester United began their Europa League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kazakhstani side Astana at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to make nine changes for the opening night of Europa League Group L, with several players coming in for their first appearances of the season including youngsters Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood.
But all three and the rest of their teammates ultimately found the Kazakh outfit a tough nut to crack, with plenty of United possession failing to turn into that many chances in the first period.
The closest United came was very early on, with midfielder Fred - another who was making his first appearance of the campaign - crashed an effort against the crossbar.
And the Brazilian proved to be something of a fascinating character throughout the game, as the former Shakhtar Donetsk man sought to impose himself on the match.
Fred's impact at United since his £52million arrival last summer has been largely very limited, and there were suggestions that he would be moved on by Solskjaer ahead of this season.
But as the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez have been shown the door by the Norwegian, Fred was retained in the squad.
It is clear that he is still nowhere near a first choice pick in a midfield that usually includes the likes of Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, but Fred has shown a determination to stay and fight for his place, even if he is more likely to be seen in matches such as this rather than big Premier League games.
And for what it was worth on Thursday, plenty of United fans thought he did pretty well.
After dominating possesion for much of the game, United ended up winning 1-0 courtesy of Greenwood's well-taken goal.
They face West Ham in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Sunday.
