Erik ten Hag makes exciting Manchester United academy prediction after Kobbie Mainoo breakthrough

Erik ten Hag insists he has not been surprised by the success of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in the Manchester United first team, and he believes there are even more talented youngsters at the club with the potential to follow in their footsteps.

United have spent over £400million on new players since Ten Hag arrived at the club less than two years ago, yet two of their best performers this season have been a homegrown teenage duo.

Mainoo and Garnacho both still have a lot of work to do if they are to continue their respective upward trajectories, but Ten Hag is already delighted with the progress they have shown.

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United's academy staff deserve huge credit for identifying and nurturing their quality in the first place, and the United manager believes there are other youngsters at the club who could go on to be a part of his senior squad.

"That is about trust. The manager trusts the staff with the eye on the potential of the player," he told reporters when asked about Mainoo's meteoric rise. "They didn't surprise us. Of course, they have to prove it; that is the other thing. That counts for everyone in top sports. You have to prove it, and you have to prove it when the occasion is there.

"Of course, you never know, but it is about the knowledge of the staff if they think they can do it. You assess the potential of the player, and we were convinced of those players. I think we have still, in the back of it [the academy], such young payers who can also make the steps Kobbie and Garnacho have made in the last couple of months.

"The construction is that so many times, young