Enzo Maresca spoke highly of Tyrique George’s outstanding performance against Manchester United, and also praised the excellent game intelligence of Marc Cucurella, the hero of the game, and believed that he once again demonstrated his important value to the team.  

With Nicolaj Jaxson unavailable due to suspension and Marc Gew still recovering from injury, Tyreke George got his first Premier League start.  

The youngster has occasionally played in this role in UEFA competitions, and although Tyrique George was unable to fully utilise his strengths against a strong Manchester United side, Enzo Maresca was pleased with his performance and believes he has enough quality to be a starter against Nottingham Forest next weekend.  

Enzo Maresca said: "Tyreke George played very well and showed great courage. He created a threat in defense, although it was not easy with important defenders such as Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw tackling him."  

“We tried to find a solution with one of the players from the academy and he was pretty good in terms of taking penalties in general.”  

Marc Cucurella broke the deadlock with a brilliant header from Reece James' cross, the Spaniard's seventh goal of the season and his most decisive yet.  

Enzo Maresca said: "I really like assists from the right back and goals from the left back. This is an ideal way to play. Marc Cucurella has scored similar goals against Brentford and Wolves this season. He always appears in the right position at the critical moment. It has nothing to do with size or height. Marc Cucurella is a very smart player and he is contributing goals for us."  

"Marc Cucurella trained at Barcelona's La Masia academy. So he grew up in a club with a very similar philosophy to what I pursue."  

"Marc Cucurella has done a great job with us mainly because we know him and his qualities and the way we play suits him, so it's a win-win situation for him. We work hard every day, but as I said before, size doesn't matter, it's about knowing where you are and he's done a great job."