A FORMER Crediton United Youth and Crediton Saints football player made his first team squad appearance on the Manchester United bench last Saturday against Watford.

While Sean Goss didn’t actually get to play, it is a great milestone in his career.

Sean attended Hayward’s Primary School and after playing in Crediton joined Exeter City Academy.

He was snapped up by Manchester United for their Academy in the summer of 2012 for an undisclosed fee.

He made good progress at the Aon Training Complex, being particularly pleased to get off the mark in the Under 21s in a 1-1 draw at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

The midfielder, a boyhood United fan, impressed sufficiently as a guest player during the Aegon Future Cup in Amsterdam to earn a contract - despite being unfortunate enough to miss the penalty in the shoot-out defeat to hosts Ajax in the final.

A neat and skilful performer, he joined Paul McGuinness’ squad after scoring 13 times for Exeter’s Centre of Excellence side in his final season.

Sean had been with the Exeter Grecians since he was eight years-old but adapted well to life in Manchester.

By both scoring and assisting goals, his performances were consistently of a high level as he nailed down a regular place in the engine room.

Clearly becoming a key member of the side, he broke into the UEFA Youth League plans of Nicky Butt as well, albeit appearing at full-back for the Under 19s.

McGuinness selected him on a three-man shortlist for the Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year and commented on his excellent passing ability, while a late winner against Everton in a top-of-the-table clash in mid-November was an obvious highlight. A regular threat, he notched six goals in total and took part in 27 Under 18s matches.

While it naturally took time to make the step up to Under 21s level, not helped by injury problems, he reached double figures in terms of appearances during the successful title-winning campaign in 2014/15. Enjoying playing alongside some senior colleagues, he grew in confidence and influence and began to look the part for Warren Joyce’s men.

The sky is said to be the limit for the young player

Goss is cautious about his prospects of breaking into the first team but can look back on the season with a great deal of pride. After admitting it took time to settle in Manchester, he is certainly on the right track and capable of pushing on again in 2015/16. Following his inclusion in the squad for Tour 2015 promoted by Aon, the sky is the limit for the youngster.

Alan Quick