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Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have been a real positive for Manchester United in what has been an underwhelming second year under Erik ten Hag.
The Argentine left-winger, who pushed his way into the first-team squad last season with his direct and fearless style of play, has earned plaudits this term for his versatility. The 19-year-old has pushed Antony down the pecking order with his encouraging performances from the right flank.
Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, has become a mainstay in Man United’s midfield in recent months, leaving fans and pundits alike amazed with his impeccable ball control and excellent decision-making, both in and out of possession.
Interestingly, Mainoo and Garnacho aren’t the only United academy graduates raising eyebrows with their exploits in the Premier League and Europe.
Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Teden Mengi (Luton Town), James Garner (Everton), and Angel Gomes (LOSC Lille) have all impressed this season.
The academy holds a special place in the club’s history. As such, seeing these youngsters flourishing elsewhere must be a bittersweet experience for many United fans.
Quinton Fortune, who made 127 appearances for the Red Devils, recently shared a similar view when talking about the club’s former academy talents. The South African coach also had a stint as assistant coach for the Under-23 side at United a few years ago.
“I was very fortunate to work with Teden Mengi, Jimmy (Garner) and Anthony Elanga – Andreas Pereira as well, who got into the first team after joining as a kid,” the 46-year-old told Metro.co.uk courtesy of Gaming Gadgets.
“I would love to have them all now, in hindsight, you look back and think all of these kids are doing so great and they should be with us!
“But I’m happy for them because they’re doing what they love – their goal was obviously to play in the Premier League, and they’re playing. I don’t know if that would have been the situation at Manchester United if they had stayed, that’s the difficult part for those kids, and I have to take my hat off to them because Teden and Jimmy were at Manchester United since they were babies.”
In the same interview, Fortune also expressed his desire to see Amad Diallo get more minutes under Ten Hag.
The former Atalanta sensation had a promising loan spell at Sunderland last season. However, he’s yet to enjoy regular playing time under the Dutch coach.
Fortune revealed that he has heard good things about the Ivory Coast international from the training ground.
He further suggested that Amad has the potential to play as a creative midfield player in this side due to his ability to find his teammates in the final third.
Ultimately, it is debatable as to how many of these players would walk into this current United team but still, it is a huge win for the academy if the players are flourishing, even if not at Old Trafford.