Manchester United 0-0 Real Sociedad (4-0 agg): 5 talking points as Red Devils cruise into Round of 16 | Europa League 2020-21 

#3 Shola Shoretire makes history for Manchester United

Shola Shoretire entered the record books for Manchester United

The Manchester United academy is one of the highest-rated in the world and it has continued a legacy of producing first-team stars for over seven decades.

The current senior team is replete with players such as Mason Greenwood, Scott McTominay, and Marcus Rashford, who made their start at Carrington.

One of the biggest prospects in the current academy set-up is Shola Shoretire. The 17-year-old made his debut for Manchester United when he came off the bench to replace Marcus Rashford in the 88th minute of their 3-1 win over Newcastle last weekend.

He made his second appearance for the club, again as a substitute, coming on for the final 12 minutes against Sociedad.

1️⃣7️⃣ years and 2️⃣3️⃣ days.Shola Shoretire becomes the youngest-𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 #MUFC player to feature in European competition. 🏆 #UEL pic.twitter.com/HdzgsX0pXj

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 25, 2021

Aged 17 years and 23 days, Shoretire became the youngest player to ever represent the Red Devils in Europe.

#2 Poor Real Sociedad fail to turn up

Real Sociedad were poor on the night

Real Sociedad's dire display on home turf last week rendered the return fixture a mere formalitiy.

Although even bigger deficits have been overturned in the past, it wasn't to be for Imanol Alguacil's men, as they failed to bring their A-game to Old Trafford.

Despite having some quality attackers such as Oyarzabal, Alexander Isak, and former Manchester United man Adnan Januzaj in their rank, the visitors failed to make their presence felt at an empty Old Trafford.

🇪🇺 Satisfied with the work done and the team’s performance.#UEL | #EuropaRS | #AurreraReala https://t.co/cxKORtXkn8

— Real Sociedad (@RealSociedadEN) February 25, 2021

They did not give themselves a fighting chance, failing to register a shot on target until the 86th minute.

It was a rather poor outing, considering what was at stake and the quality of players on display.

#1 Anthony Martial once again misfires as the focal point of attack

Anthony Martial did not lead the line effectively

Not long ago, many opined that Anthony Martial's best position was as a center-forward, and the view was seemingly shared by Solskjaer.

The Manchester United manager sanctioned the sale of Romelu Lukaku to build his attack around Martial.

However, two years down the line, the project is yet to truly kick off despite several false dawns.

Having fallen off the radar in recent months, this game against Real Sociedad offered Anthony Martial an excellent opportunity to remind everyone of his abilities, but he failed to take it.

The Frenchman was largely on the peripheries for most of the game. Although he did force Remiro into a save midway through the second-half.

His latest blank means that the Manchester United number 9 has just seven goals from 32 games in all competitions this season. A far from ideal record for a man expected to lead the line.