You only have to look at Manchester United to see that a lot can change in the space of half a season. Very few would have predicted them to be so settled under their new manager as they are now, and it is a testament to Erik ten Hag that failure to qualify for the Champions League would now feel like an abject failure.
Sometimes, all you need is a little time to settle in first, and that is a particularly pertinent point with regard to the youngsters looking to make their names at the club.
Last summer, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage were the two hottest names on the academy conveyor belt, having shone in pre-season. But the ruthless nature of the perpetual pipeline of promising youngsters means that you don't need to wait long before another comes along.
Read next: Phil Jones has given United a simple decision to make
Iqbal had been mooted for a key role in the United first-team this season, but has yet to make a competitive appearance for the club since Ten Hag took charge. That could well change following Christian Eriksen's injury at the weekend, which has left United short of one of their key players, in a position where it would be unlikely to let another midfielder leave.
On Friday night, the Iraq international played for the U21s, while close friend Charlie Savage was preparing for his first match day with loan club Forest Green Rovers. After such a promising summer, neither has been able to get the senior exposure they would have liked.
Instead, it was the even younger academy hopeful Kobbie Mainoo who was given a place in the first-team, coming off the bench in their 3-1 win over Reading on Saturday.
The 17-year-old has always been highly-rated by coaches who have worked closely with him at United, noting his maturity and technical prowess as two top traits, but there has certainly been an element of surprise about how quickly he has been integrated into the first-team ahead of more established midfield prospects.
It is easy to forget he is only a second-year academy member and was eligible for a second run at the Youth Cup this season, but now his focus lies elsewhere. Only Louis Jackson was a younger member of last season's successful squad, and Mainoo has already made the step-up to senior status.
Mainoo was worthy of a bench role when Eriksen was unwell for the goalless draw with Newcastle in October, and it is he who could be the biggest beneficiary from the recent injury blow to the Denmark international.
The FA Youth Cup winner has not looked out of place in either of his two senior appearances so far, and caught the eye against Reading with his calmness and composure in midfield.
Mainoo completed all 25 of his attempted passes during his 20-minute cameo and displayed real maturity with his methodical approach to the game, as he helped to recycle possession and keep his side in control of the ball.
It speaks volumes that Ten Hag already feels he can trust the teenager to be involved in his senior set-up, but it speaks even louder that the youngster hasn't looked out of place, either.
What is clear, as has been the case with many other young hopefuls, is that there is still plenty of work to do if he is ever going to fufill his enormous potential, but there is certainly reason to be excited.
After a whirlwind year, Mainoo might be about to take the midfield by storm.
Related stories:
