Kobbie Mainoo has unseen Manchester United transfer impact helping Ineos
It is hard to think of a time when Kobbie Mainoo was not an invaluable player for Manchester United, such is the impact he has had on this team in such a short space of time.
While there are still issues in the centre of the pitch which United are looking to address with the addition of Manuel Ugarte, Mainoo has undoubtedly been a revelation. His meteoric rise through the ranks at Old Trafford culminated in the Reds' academy graduate being called up to the England squad for the European Championships.
While Mainoo was highly rated, few would have thought that when he was injured in the pre-season friendly with Real Madrid in the USA he would be starting a major international tournament final less than 12 months later. For United fans, this progression is marvellous to see.
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Much of the fanbase has either grown up watching or heard stories about Sir Alex Ferguson's Class of '92. The club prides itself on establishing stars from their youth academy.
However, with notable exceptions excluded, the youth products at Carrington have mostly underwhelmed with plenty leaving for free having not reached the grade. What Mainoo's emergence into the first-team fold has done is set a higher standard for young players to be judged by.
We have seen this summer that United have been a lot more ruthless in selling players who they feel will not make it to the required level. In years gone by, the likes of Facundo Pellistri and Hannibal Mejbri may have been kept around this summer because they are showing some signs of potential.
But, after witnessing Mainoo burst onto the scene in the manner that he has done, suddenly the threshold for