Introducing... United's Tyrell Warren

Jose Mourinho told MUTV on Tuesday he expects Tyrell Warren and Axel Tuanzebe to be in the squad for the opening pre-season friendly at Wigan Athletic on 16 July.

Tuanzebe established himself in the Under-21s last season and made the substitutes' bench for the senior side's games at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Although injury disrupted his progress, the Congo-born centre-back returned for the tail end of the title-winning campaign for Warren Joyce's youngsters and was excellent in a holding midfield role in the final match at Chelsea.

Warren may be a little less familiar to some supporters as he only made one start for Joyce's team and that was in the Lancashire Senior Cup win at Blackpool when a number of Under-18 players were involved. The defender's other four outings at Under-21 level were all as a substitute but he gained plenty of experience in the younger age groups.

A regular in the Academy side, he made 23 starts and even donned the captain's armband as he emerged as a key performer. Although initially viewed as a right-back, he showed his maturity and leadership skills as a centre-half and was outstanding in the 1-1 derby draw with Manchester City.

Another fine individual performance came in the UEFA Youth League tie against Wolfsburg at Leigh Sports Village. His coach Nicky Butt felt the full-back was Man of the Match in the 1-1 draw and there was much to admire in Tyrell's tenacious approach to the task in hand. He played five of the six European fixtures, only missing the goalless stalemate with CSKA Moscow when he was an unused substitute.

Born in Manchester and schooled in the United way of thinking, the 17-year-old has plenty of scope for development and Mourinho's willingness to "accelerate" the progress of such talents bodes well for him, for Tuanzebe and the other youth players at the club. The new manager's words suggest the pathway to first-team opportunities remains in place.