Pep Guardiola has given Manchester United an obvious blueprint for Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United and their ever-glowing academy system needs no outside help when it comes to nurturing promising young players, and neither does their incoming manager Erik ten Hag for that matter. Many parallels can be drawn between Ajax and the impending challenge that awaits the new boss at Old Trafford.

However, while Ten Hag and building foundations through homegrown gems go hand in and — as they do generally speaking for both United and the Amsterdam club — there can also be no harm in taking note how Pep Guardiola has dealt with his own shining light at Manchester City.

Following a season that has thrown up more disaster than dazzlement, you can forgive any United supporter for waxing lyrical about their Madrid-born Argentine young star, Alejandro Garnacho, even if the traditional Old Trafford way is to remain circumspect and keep lofty predictions under wraps. They deserve hope to cling onto.

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Ten Hag brings a bucket-load of hope and, while the impending summer rebuild over one window will not solely decide his fortunes as United manager, United must begin next season in a better place than they finished the last one. Among the debris left by past failings in the market and an underperforming current squad — barring a rejuvenated David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo from last season — there are shoots of recovery in the next generation at United.

If the famous Class of 92 perhaps set expectations too high for academy teams, this current group — headed up by the magnificent Garnacho — showed their own potential in their stunning charge to FA Youth Cup glory.

Playing a fundamental role in that trophy win, Garnacho has