Manchester United defender Chris Smalling says their youngsters must be tough mentally to succeed at Old Trafford.

Winger Daniel James, signed from Swansea for £15million, is the first signing of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era, with more young players set to join those already within United's ranks.

Mason Greenwood, James Garner, Axel Tuanzebe, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong are among the youngsters Solskjaer intends to take on United's pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East, with the squad flying to Perth on July 7.

“It's about making sure you can keep to those standards," said Smalling.

“Everyone can have a breakthrough season but it's about consistency, when you're tested to see whether you're the best of the best.

“Ultimately, kids are learning at a young age and need to be mentally strong. It's all good to have the talent, but the mental side is massive, as some kids are exposed to that pressure at a very early age now.

“When I started at Fulham, social media was not as huge as it is now, but they started to implement a few little things there.

“These days, United are very much on it in terms of making sure any kids coming through are not exposed to it too much.

“We drip-feed the interviews they need to do and the manager is very clever as well. They can be involved in the squad but then go back to the reserves and it's about that evolution.

“Having a manager like Ole, who is experienced within the club, means United hit the nail on the head with that."