Manchester United youngster Bendito Mantato enjoyed a standout performance for the Red Devils under-18s side.
Talented winger Bendito Mantato has been a player who has been on the fringes of the under-18s side for the past year.
Mantato made his under-18s debut in mid-January 2023 when he was only 14. He then played in the UEFA Youth League at 15 earlier this season.
Having just recently turned 16 last week, Mantato was selected for the under-18s as a starter against Leeds at the weekend.
Bendito Mantato stars in under-18s win
Bendito Mandato had made two appearances this season for the under-18s before the weekend, in wins against Stoke and Wolves.
At the weekend against Leeds, Mantato was selected on the right wing, and wore the number seven shirt.
He produced a performance worthy of it, helping Manchester United to demolish Leeds by a scoreline of 4-0, with all four in the first half.
Gabriele Biancheri had given Manchester United the lead through an excellent individual strike, his eighth goal of the season, before Mantato took over.
Mantato scored his first goal for the under-18s after great work from Harry Amass on the left, crossing the ball in which Mantato connected with to score with just one touch.
Moments later Mantato turned provider, running into the Leeds box before cutting the ball back for midfielder Zach Baumann to net his first under-18s goal from close range.
Before the half was over, Mantato replicated his success by driving at the Leeds defence and supplying a perfectly weighted pass for Ethan Williams to make it 4-0.
This was another notable victory, with United’s youngsters making it 13 out of 13 league wins for the season.
Mantato made his England youth international debut last year along with Amir Ibragimov, and both players have a very bright future.
We should see a lot more of the talented youngster over the next 18 months as he continues his journey with the ultimate goal of one day cracking the first team.
Bendito Mantato profile
- Full name: Bendito Mantato
- Age: 16, born 25/1/2008
- Position: Winger
- Nationality: English / Angolan