Matteo Darmian singled out for praise by Louis van Gaal after Manchester United beat Tottenham

Manchester United 1 Tottenham 0: Wayne Rooney says match with Tottenham was all about the three points

(GETTY IMAGES)

Five Manchester United players made their competitive debuts in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham, but is was Italian defender Matteo Darmian who caught the eye of manager Louis van Gaal.

French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, Dutch striker Memphis Depay and goalkeeper Sergio Romero all started from the beginning alongside Darmian whilst Bastian Schweinsteiger came off the bench.

"It's always difficult, it's the first time they've played at Old Trafford," said Van Gaal on BT Sport, reckoning that he would celebrate his birthday in his favourite restaurant later. "But I like the performance, especially from Darmian."

Goalkeeper Romero, called upon with David De Gea dropped because of his proposed move to Real Madrid, made three important late saves.

"Romero kept the zero. I think he was wonderful in saving the ball but not in building up situations and that's logical because he's only been with us one week," said Van Gaal.

Wayne Rooney was not satisfied with the overall performance of the new-look Manchester United side, but was delighted to win the match thanks to an own goal from Kyle Walker.

"We've played better but after what happened last season, getting off to a bad start at home and having a bad series of results after that, today was all about the three points," said the Manchester United captain. "We've gone out and done that."

Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, could not hide his dismay. "I'm very frustrated and disappointed because until this moment (of the goal) we had played much better and dominated the game. Then with one mistake, we gave them the opportunity to score."