Republic of Ireland Under-21 mainstay Robbie Brady played his first game for Manchester United's first-team in tonight's pre-season friendly against Amazulu in Durban.
While the Dubliner plays in an attacking role at international level, United manager Alex Ferguson deployed Brady at left-back for his debut and the 20-year-old showed his versatility during an impressive outing.
The Irishman featured prominently in the game before being substituted close to the hour. United opened their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 win.
Brady will stay with the first-team squad for the remainder of their tour which moves on from South Africa to China.
Having spent last season on loan at English Championship club, where he played 39 league games, Brady has now earned promotion at United and, with it, an opportunity to press his claims for the upcoming Premier League.
Brady is currently top scorer for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 team, his latest of six goals coming on June 4 in Sligo when his penalty helped Noel King's side spark a comeback against UEFA Championship qualifying Group 7 leaders Italy which yielded a 2-2 draw. Victory for Ireland in their next game against Turkey at the Sligo Showgrounds on August 14 will allow them leapfrog their opponents into second place of the group table with two more qualifiers still to play.
