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08th Dec 2015

Louis van Gaal may give young defender a Champions League baptism of fire

Tom Victor

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has shown he’s not afraid to throw players in at the deep end.

The Dutchman has given debuts to 30 different players in just under 18 months at Old Trafford, and it looks like he won’t shy away from experimenting for the crunch Champions League trip to Wolfsburg.

According to German newspaper Bild, Guillermo Varela will be handed his full debut for a game which United need to win to guarantee progress to the knockout stages.

The 22-year-old Uruguayan has played just 45 minutes for the club, replacing Paddy McNair at half-time in the goalless draw with West Ham United.

Despite Bild‘s graphic, Varela would likely start at right-back, where he played at the weekend, with Matteo Darmian on the left.

If United fail to win in Germany then they will need CSKA Moscow to do them a favour against PSV Eindhoven.