Dan Gore congratulates teammate Sam Mather after the latter scored for Manchester United's Under-21s.
Dan Gore (left) has had a torrid time with injuries.
Few people can say they have marked their 19th birthday by making their first-team debut for Manchester United.
Dan Gore can. He made his bow for the Reds in September 2023 when he stepped off the bench with just under 30 minutes left of a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford.
"It tops the list of birthdays, it was truly a special moment," Gore told MUTV. "I don't think words can describe that feeling, seeing the fans, it is everything you've dreamed of, coming true.
"It means everything [to make your debut], growing up as a United fan [along with] my whole family, it means a lot to them and they were all here supporting me."
Not far off two years on, Gore has only made one further appearance for United, off the bench as a late substitute in the Reds' 3-2 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day 2023.
The following month, the talented midfielder was sent out on loan for the first time in his career, joining League One side Port Vale. Unfortunately, his loan spell at Vale Park amounted to just one appearance because of an injury.
Having caught the eye in United's pre-season preparations ahead of the start of the 2023/24 season, Gore was expected to kick on and make sharp progress. However, opportunities at Old Trafford were understandably limited and his injury at Port Vale was a rotten bit of luck.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who joined United's academy in 2018 from Burnley, then experience another dose of bad luck last summer, encountering a freak shoulder injury during a personal training session. He missed the whole of United's pre-season campaign and was not spotted back in training until September.
Much to his and United's frustration, the midfielder then encountered a similar, smaller setback in October, meaning he was denied the opportunity to get into any sort of rhythm. It also meant a lot of time was lost in what was an important period in his career.
Dan Gore has made two appearances for Manchester United. (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Eventually, it felt as though Gore was due a change in fortunes when he joined League One side Rotherham United on loan for the remainder of the season in January. It was viewed as an opportunity for him to make up for lost time and a chance to express himself away from Old Trafford.
Unbelievably, Gore encountered yet another injury almost as soon as he had arrived in South Yorkshire, sustaining a foot injury in early-February. Despite former Millers boss Steve Evans initially being dumbfounded by how the England youth international had encountered the foot problem he reported on the day of a home game against Shrewsbury Town, the youngster was sidelined for just over two months.
After returning to Carrington to recover and work on a rehabilitation programme, Gore returned to South Yorkshire for the final two games of the League One campaign. He started the Millers' final day victory over Peterborough United, but his loan spell amounted to a paltry 148 minutes.
Having been plagued by injury issues over the last 18 months, Gore is now at an important juncture in his career. He has just a year remaining on his United contract and it remains to be seen what the club's plan is for him this summer.
He is highly thought of by United staff, but his misfortune over the last year-and-a-half has derailed his progress. After making his debut against Palace, it felt as though he would be the next academy graduate to gatecrash the first-team.
Less than two years on, Gore's career trajectory has slowed because of injury problems beyond his control. He was not named in the squad Ruben Amorim took on the post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong, meaning his United future is in doubt.
It remains to be seen if United will attempt to sell him permanently this summer, send him out on loan again in the hope of him rediscovering some form or allow him to run his contract down.
One way or another, a decision will have to be made on his long-term future sooner rather than later.