It was two hours before kick-off at Prenton Park when quotes from Angel Gomes appeared on Manchester United’s Twitter feed, with the 19-year-old talking about “getting that opportunity and taking it with both hands.”



But anyone thinking those words were confirmation he was about to feature were misguided. Gomes travelled to the Wirral with his club yet was not included in the squad, instead watching on from the stands as United racked up the goals against a Tranmere Rovers side as ragged as their pitch.



Given some of the names on the scoresheet, Gomes might reasonably have felt this FA Cup fourth-round tie presented an excellent opportunity to grasp. Rather, for him, it was the latest instance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer going a different route.



It is difficult to scrutinise a manager’s selection when his team wins 6-0 and the importance of victory amid wider questions about the direction of United inevitably compelled a strong line-up,...