Louis van Gaal promotes unfamiliar name to first team squad for visit of West Ham

It wouldn't be a Premier League gameweek without a fresh face on the Manchester United bench.

Louis van Gaal has continued his streak of offering substitute places to unheralded youngsters with the inclusion of Guillermo Varela to Saturday's matchday squad. Varela, a Uruguayan defender, has been named in the senior squad for the first time since signing from Penarol in 2013 amidst a defensive injury crisis that has Van Gaal clutching at straws to find a fit back four.

Photo: Guillermo Varela in 18 man squad vs West Ham [men]: pic.twitter.com/m8yKF5Kxwf

— utdreport.com (@utdreport) December 4, 2015

MEN report that the 22-year-old joins the likes of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe who were all called up to Premier League matchday squads in recent weeks. Neither Tuanzebe nor Rashford make the bench for United's home game against West Ham on Saturday but Borthwick-Jackson continues to be rewarded with a place among the subs. United squad: De Gea, Romero, Varela, Smalling, Darmian, Borthwick-Jackson, McNair, Blind, Young, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Fellaini, Lingard, Mata, Memphis, Pereira, Martial