Rewind a few months and not many Manchester United fans would have known the name Kobbie Mainoo. Now he is established as one of the club’s rising stars.
At the start of the season most supporters knowledgeable about the United academy would have name-checked Zidane Iqbal, Charlie Savage and Charlie McNeill as the next cabs off the rank at Carrington. But just over midway through the season it is Mainoo who has surpassed them all.
Iqbal has not made an appearance for the first team this season. Savage has been sent out on loan to League One strugglers Forest Green Rovers. And McNeill is spending time learning the game in League Two with Newport County. A lot can change in the space of a few months.