Guillermo Varela: Who is the Manchester United player given a first start against Wolfsburg?

Louis van Gaal named the youngster in the side for the crucial Champions League game

Guillermo Varela (2016 Getty Images)

Louis van Gaal sprung a surprise (and took a gamble) by naming Guillermo Varela in Manchester United's starting line-up for the Champions League tie with Wolfsburg.

On a night when the Red Devils could be eliminated from the tournament even Manchester United fans could be excused for asking 'Varela who?'.

The 22-year-old only made his debut for Manchester United last weekend, when he came on as a second half substitute in the 0-0 draw against West Ham, meaning the match against Wolfsburg in Germany is his first start for the club.

The full-back is only the second Uruguayan (the other being Diego Forlan) to represent the Red Devils. He was signed from Uruguayan club Penarol in June 2013 by David Moyes for a fee thought to be in the region of £2m, however he failed to make a single appearance in his first season at Old Trafford.

Last term he was loaned to Real Madrid Castilla, the development side of the Spanish giants. There he made 33 league appearances and scored one goal.

Varela has represented Uruguay up to Under-20 level and was part of the side that lost to France in the final of the Fifa U-20 World Cup in 2013.