Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has named an extraordinarily youthful starting XI with an average age of 23 years and 89 days against Manchester United, marking the second youngest lineup ever fielded against the Red Devils in Premier League history.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has officially dropped a historic bombshell ahead of this afternoon's decisive Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

With the pressure mounting on both traditional English heavyweights, Alonso has chosen to combat United’s hostile atmosphere with a fearless injection of raw youth. 

The Blues have named a starting lineup with an astonishing average age of just 23 years and 89 days.

The tactical gamble places Alonso's team directly into the history books. This is now officially the second youngest starting XI ever named by any team in a Premier League match against Manchester United.

The brave selection marks a radical departure from traditional Old Trafford tactical blueprints, which usually favour battle-hardened veterans to handle the intense pressure of the Stretford End.

Alonso’s young guns sit only behind the legendary Leeds United side of October 2000, who fielded an incredibly youthful squad averaging 22 years and 341 days against Sir Alex Ferguson's men. 

However, that specific historical experiment ended in complete disaster for the Yorkshire club, who were ruthlessly dismantled 3-0 by the Red Devils.

Alonso will be desperately hoping his young squad can rewrite that specific script this afternoon.

The record-breaking lineup acts as the ultimate validation of Chelsea’s aggressive, multi-million dollar recruitment strategy, which has systematically focused on hoarding the brightest teenage talents and under-23 prospects across world football over the past several transfer windows.

While critics have repeatedly slammed the club for a lack of dressing room leadership and stability, Alonso is choosing to utilise his squad's immense athletic energy to press United high up the pitch and dictate a relentless, exhausting tempo from the opening whistle.

With the match already underway at the time of this report, the football world is completely buckled in to see if Alonso’s tactical bravery will pay off. 

Will this vibrant, young Chelsea side completely overrun a struggling Manchester United, or will the historical weight of Old Trafford prove too heavy for the second youngest team in Premier League history? The answers are moments away.