JJ Gabriel was made to wait for his senior bow as a Manchester United player and instead watched from the bench while academy colleagues caught the eye in sunny Norway.

The highly rated Gabriel, aged just 15, kicked his heels throughout a 5-0 hammering of Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday.

Gabriel's presence in Michael Carrick's 25-man travelling squad felt as though it was the prelude to him becoming one of the youngest players ever to feature in a senior game for the club.

The forward was one of the star attractions on United's arrival on Thursday evening and was also pushed forward at a meet-and-greet session later when supporters were keen to see the jewel in United's youth set-up in the flesh.

Perhaps mindful of the scrutiny Gabriel will be under, Carrick decided that, along with FA Youth Cup final team-mate Jim Thwaites, he should be one of two outfield players not to get any pitch time.

Gabriel's time will come.

For Shea Lacey, Jacob Devaney and Harry Amass – all 19 – their time might be now.

All three were on target. All three are making a strong case to Carrick about their presence in the months ahead.

Lacey came into pre-season regarded by United staff as, along with midfielder Tyler Fletcher, the most likely of the club's young players to force their way into Carrick's first-team squad on a regular basis.

Lacey's promise has been known for some time.

However, a torn thigh muscle kept him out for five months in the 2023-24 season and he has then had to be managed to get to a point where his body is capable of playing runs of games.

It is impossible to know what would have happened if Lacey had not been sent off in the dying embers of the FA Cup third-round defeat by Brighton at Old Trafford in January.

Lacey had lit up the previous game at Burnley, rattling the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the area that for all the world seemed as though it would settle a game that finished 2-2.

During his suspension, Lacey suffered an injury and Carrick made him wait until the final game of the campaign at Brighton to hand him some more first-team minutes.

Lacey did well, but it was just to send him into the summer knowing there was a target in front of him.

Age is on his side of course, and the opposition will get much stronger than a Norwegian team who had an important league game shifted to Monday so this match could be played.

That factor led to anger among their supporter base and may be an explanation for the vast number of empty seats that were conspicuous at the 21,000-capacity Lerkendal Stadium.

The manner of Lacey's goal certainly caught the eye.

He found space and ghosted in from the right – having spent most of the game in a hybrid number 10 role, with Bryan Mbeumo outside him – and the smooth nature of his shot that curled sweetly into the far corner had a stamp of class all over it.

Devaney was singled out for praise by Carrick after last week's defeat by Wrexham in Helsinki.

Again playing in central defence rather than his preferred midfield slot, Devaney was an assured presence once more in Norway. He also added a goal with an instinctive first-time finish after coming up for a corner.

Many thought Amass would have been given a chance to impress under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman thought he wasn't big enough.

Two years on, he has noticeably filled out. After being edged out following Diego Leon's arrival last season, Amass impressed on loan at Sheffield Wednesday before getting injured shortly after joining Norwich.

He looks fully fit now and – sliding in at the far post to convert United's fourth goal on a day when Joshua Zirkzee scored a superb solo effort and Ethan Williams completed a rout – he offered another nudge to Carrick not to forget about him as a back-up to Luke Shaw.