Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has likened Brandon Williams to Gary Neville as the teenager prepares for his first appearance against Liverpool.
Crumpsall-born Williams, 19, has started 12 times for United this season and is effectively their first choice left-back, with Luke Shaw injured again and Ashley Young about to join Inter Milan.
Williams was this week lauded by United great Neville, who said on Twitter: "I like Brandon Williams. What I like about him specifically is he has that look in his eye of someone that would eat his opponents nose to win the match. Keep going kid! Oh he can play football to which is always a bonus."
Solskjaer did not include Williams in his pre-season tour squad but, out of the teenagers who have debuted on Solskjaer's watch, the full-back has started the most matches and is poised to come up against Sadio Mane on Sunday.
Williams has been booked six times this season and Solskjaer was asked whether he was concerned about his discipline in a febrile atmosphere at Anfield. "Does it look like I need to speak to him? I don’t think so.
"I think he's been absolutely outstanding since he came in, every challenge we’ve put in front of him he's tackled head on.
"He's only 19, made 10 or 11 starts but he reminds me so much of the mentality of Gary Neville and I think he'll enjoy going to Anfield, to put it that way."
United are the only team to have stopped champions-elect Liverpool from winning in the Premier League this term and won at champions Manchester City last month. Despite the 27-point difference between Liverpool and United, Solskjaer is optimistic of a positive result this weekend and says Liverpool represent an entirely different challenge to City.
"The proof is in the league table," Solskjaer explained. "Liverpool have been the best team in the league but City can outplay you, Liverpool can beat you in different ways.
"They're two different teams, two very good teams they've shown over the years, but Man City give you a different challenge to what Liverpool does.
"They’re two very different ways of playing football."
Liverpool are auspiciously placed to end a 30-year championship drought, while United's own barren run will tick past seven years this season. Solskjaer is desperate to avoid a similar stretch to Liverpool's at United, who went 26 years without a title between 1967 and 1993.
"That's what we're working hard to make sure doesn't happen," Solskjaer added. "And let that be a lesson for us that we can't let ourselves go another 24 years until we win the league and I’m sure we won’t.
"I believe in this club, I believe that we are rebuilding now, we’ve started something that’s going to take a little bit of time but we’ll get there."
