Ainsley Maitland-Niles has admitted that starting for Arsenal against Manchester United was "a dream come true", but is disappointed not to have earned a point at Old Trafford.

The Gunners lost concentration late on to lose 2-1 in Arsene Wenger's final match at the Theatre of Dreams as Arsenal manager.

Wenger named an inexperienced starting lineup for Sunday afternoon's clash - next Thursday's European tie against Atletico Madrid taking priority - with an average age of 24 years and 67 days.

Maitland-Niles was among those to have been handed a start, and the young midfielder had mixed emotions at the end of the game.

"It is so unfortunate to fight so hard and then to go down so late in the game," he told Sky Sports News. "Words can't describe how we feel right now and apologies to the fans to let them down late on.

"I love playing centre midfield and to do that for Arsenal at Manchester United in the Premier League is a dream come true. I guess it was a bit nerve-racking for the lads without a full squad, but we knew we had to give the manager a proper send-off and do our best."

The starting lineup named by Arsenal was their youngest since August 2011 when losing 8-2 at the same ground.