'A top kid' - Manchester United have learnt from multi-million-pound mistake with one of their own

Manchester United will feel they are pretty well protected in years to come. If Willy Kambwala goes on to star in La Liga and become a French international, then United have a sell-on clause and a buy-back clause that will give them options. The same is true if Alvaro Fernandez tears it up at Benfica, or Hannibal or Facundo Pellistri suddenly go to another level for first-team exposure.

United's transfer deals for the age group that fall between academy players and being established in the first-team have improved markedly in the last three summers. They have started banking cash for those players not quite good enough to make it into Erik ten Hag's squad, but are too good to continue playing in Premier League 2.

This year, they have become more aggressive in adding clauses into those deals that offer the chance of more profit down the line. It is a common strategy for successful clubs, especially when their academy graduates are so sought after. Manchester City have become the masters at it and you sense United's new chief executive Omar Berrada has influenced the change in approach at Old Trafford.

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Berrada spoke about the way United structured these deals last week and he used Kambwala as an example. The centre-back is maybe the most prominent youngster to depart - aside from Mason Greenwood - having made a breakthrough last season.

"It is true that we have been more open to structuring the contracts in a way that can deliver value for us in the short-term, but also in the future, introducing higher sell-ons, more realistic contingents, we have done that with practically all of