Manchester United's forgotten youngster is making progress after suffering freak injury

Dan Gore was up in the clouds when he made his Manchester United first-team debut in September last year but the last 12 months have been challenging for the youngster.

Gore joined Port Vale on loan in the January window only to pick up an injury in his first game and he encountered another stroke of bad luck shortly after returning to United. The midfielder dislocated his shoulder during a personal training session and required surgery at the beginning of June, which meant he was unable to travel to the United States for the first-team tour.

He finally marked his return to action against Doncaster Rovers last week. Understandably, Gore looked off the pace and rusty but he looked visibly sharper just seven days later when captaining the Under-21s against Hertha Berlin.

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United's U21s played Hertha in their opening Premier League International Cup game on Tuesday and Gore started alongside Jayce Fitzgerald and James Scanlon in midfield. Although Gore joined the academy from Burnley as a teenager and was originally a forward, he now plays in a deeper midfield position and operates like Frenkie de Jong.

Erik ten Hag famously pushed to sign De Jong from Barcelona in the summer of 2022 and likely sees similarities between the pair. Gore's debut was well-deserved and it's easy to forget how highly he was rated by Ten Hag before he left on loan and picked up different injuries.

At Moor Lane on Tuesday it didn't take Gore long to demonstrate he was closer to full fitness. He was responsible for some intricate play throughout the opening exchanges and linked up well with Ethan Wheatley, who could have had a hat-trick within 10 minutes.

Wheatley hit the post and would have buried his next chance on another day. The young striker scored three goals from the bench against Norwich City last Friday and generated buzz among supporters, alongside Harry Amass, when he was included in the pre-season tour squad.

Amass and Wheatley were the names on fans' lips in the summer because they were present on tour. Gore has certainly been under the radar in conversations about emerging players and that should change in the coming weeks.

United are easing Gore back into action but he is a high-quality player with first-team potential and needs to be patient as he gradually gets minutes back into his legs. He was substituted on the hour mark and looked disappointed to be replaced but there are guaranteed to be brighter days ahead. The current test for Gore is to control his expectations but there is no doubt he should be playing at a higher level at this stage.

Kobbie Mainoo returned to academy action at the same stadium following injury this time last year and Gore will be hoping to force a first-team breakthrough again. He was one of three changes when he came off the pitch and one of the youngsters who came on, Zach Baumann, opened the scoring when finding the bottom right corner.

Hertha had been impressive and should have been ahead at half-time, but Baumann was clinical when his chance arose and the handful of German ultras in the corner fell silent. However those who had either made the journey from Germany or already reside in Manchester weren't quiet at the end of the contest.

Louis Jackson and Jack Kingdon were disciplined at the heart of United's backline, along with Amass at left-back who stretched his legs more in the second half, but Hertha found the leveller they deserved in added time when winning a penalty, which was calmly converted.

Gore watched on from the bench as the October chill bit at his fingers but it's only a matter of time before he completes a full 90 minutes again. He is making progress and moving in the right direction after a frustrating spell.