Manchester United have a proud record of bringing young players into their first-team.It's an admirable philosophy that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brilliantly upheld with the likes of Mason Greenwood, Dean Henderson and Axel Tuanzebe having all graduated from the club's academy.And with the success story of Marcus Rashford staring everybody in the face, there couldn't be a clearer roadmap when it comes to young players trying to break through at Old Trafford.

Diallo arrives at Old Trafford

Now, the latest young player chasing glory at the 'Theatre of Dreams' is Amad Diallo who was signed from Atalanta last summer for an eye-watering fee of £37 million.

Unlike those who have quietly moved up from the youth teams, Diallo had the pressure of justifying a price tag more expensive than some of the most important transfers in Premier League history.

However, make no mistake that Diallo is still very much a young player and Solskjaer has been canny to ensure that the 18-year-old hasn't been overly exposed to first-team action too soon.

Man United vs Fulham Match Reaction (Football Terrace)

Diallo gets his chance vs Fulham

That being said, true to United's mantra, Diallo has indeed been given changes to shine in the senior squad and currently has seven appearances to his name in all competitions.

And while his goal-scoring outing against AC Milan might have been the most lucrative, it was his cameo off the bench against Fulham that proved the latest in his growing resumé of experience.

The Ivorian couldn't prevent United from slumping to a gutting 1-1 draw, but he still did enough to catch the eyes of the first live crowd at Old Trafford since 2020 with a superb piece of skill.

Diallo's stunning first touch

That's because Diallo reminded everyone of his exciting potential, ability and talent with a stunning first touch when he plucked David de Gea's long ball out of the sky like it was nothing.

Not only did Diallo manage to kill the ball dead, but the way he incorporated the touch into his stride was simply mesmerising and so much so that the official United account couldn't resist tweeting it:

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we like to call a 'bubble gum touch'.

A 'bubble gum touch'

Stick with me on that because as much as we'd like to claim the phrase as our own, it's actually a term coined by Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy when it came to describing Bernardo Silva. 

Mendy told the Guardian in 2017: “Bernardo Silva? I call him bubble gum because the ball is glued to his foot. I could pay to watch him play."

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Now, don't get me wrong, we're not saying for a second that Diallo has the technical prowess of Silva, but I'm sure you'll agree that Mendy's description was befitting of the United starlet's touch.

And if we can see the former Atalanta youngster dashing through Premier League defences with the ball at his feet just as tightly, then the world really is his oyster.