Manchester United have discovered a special unexpected Player of the Season candidate

There was a moment in the first half when Kobbie Mainoo stood with his hands on his hips.

Manchester United youngster Mainoo had just won possession from Brighton but the attack came to nothing, which left him wondering what more he could have done.

Mainoo has been a breath of fresh air, one of the only positives from a joyless season, and that was encapsulated in the first half at the Amex Stadium on Sunday. The midfielder ticked every box with classy touches and passes, although his teammates weren't on the same level.

The 19-year-old only made his full Premier League debut against Everton at Goodison Park in November and, six months later, he's ended the season as an established first-team star.

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United won against Brighton but have lost a club-record 14 games in the Premier League this season and it's often been difficult to find positives during the campaign. However, Mainoo has been a bright spark during that testing period and is a player to celebrate.

Brighton are specialists at keeping possession and switch play from each side of the pitch brilliantly. They have a knack for developing young midfielders but Mainoo was a worthy adversary for Carlos Baleba and the more experienced Pascal Gross.

Sofyan Amrabat was off the pace against Brighton and regressed to the player who won't be signed on a permanent deal this summer, but that didn't stop Mainoo from shining.

At times, Amrabat looked like he was running through mud and he was booked shortly after 20 minutes, with Joao Pedro evading his challenge and being cynically fouled.

It's easy to make a case that Mainoo is already better than Amrabat,