It was Sir Matt Busby who famously stated that if a player is good enough, then they are old enough to be given a chance in the Manchester United first-team. Alejandro Garnacho might very well be the next youngster to prove that remains the case.
Erik ten Hag raised the mood when the team news dropped to face FC Sheriff in the Europa League last night. It was a customary very strong side for the nature of the match, but there was at least one fresh face to look at in the shape of academy graduate Garnacho.
A decision was made in the summer to permanently promote both Garnacho and Zidane Iqbal to the first-team bubble, such was their huge potential, if nurtured carefully.
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Garnacho had earlier announced himself on the world stage when he earned a call-up to the senior Argentina side back in March, as they fought to secure his long-term future, with the teenager also eligible to represent Spain at international level.
He followed that up by taking his personal game to a whole new level and acting as the catalyst as United won the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 11 years, grabbing a double in the final against Nottingham Forest.
It was clear the potential was huge, but he was only afforded one opportunity in pre-season, featuring in their final friendly against Rayo Vallecano. Naturally, he shone again with another standout display.
Yet, for all his hard work, meaningful minutes have proven hard to come by. Garnacho found himself at a crossroads in which he had graduated from the U21s set-up but was not yet ready to be thrown into the deep end of first-team action. It seems he might have finally manoeuvred past that tricky hurdle.
He was the standout player for United against Sheriff on Thursday night, initially because he was the exciting young face in the team, and by full-time it was because he was the best performer on the pitch.
Rather than roll his eyes at a rather unappealing Europa League group game, the 18-year-old relished the Old Trafford limelight and the opportunity to show Ten Hag exactly what he had been missing all season.
From the first few minutes, it was clear to see that Garnacho was indeed a man, or a boy, on a mission. He craved the ball and the focus that came with it, dribbling with his head up as he ran directly at his opposition, looking to bamboozle them with a burst of speed and a devilish direct approach.
It was he who forced an early corner after beating Renan Guedes, a battle that would continue throughout the night and was firmly won by the teenager, with the Brazilian defender eventually receiving a yellow card when he was left with no option but to foul his South American rival.
The longer the game went on, the more he grew in confidence. Garnacho was not only toying with the senior defenders he was up against, but he was putting in the hard yards too, racing back 40-yards to help win back possession as Sheriff threatened on the counter-attack.
His final act was almost the crowning one it deserved to be. With just over ten minutes left, United won a corner in front of the Stretford End. Players piled into the box, but it was drilled low to the teenager on the edge of it.
If this had been the true fairy-tale finish, his right-footed effort would have nestled firmly in the top corner of the net. Instead, it sailed just over the bar.
With that, his job was done. Garnacho was replaced by Donny van de Beek but it is the Argentine youngster who might well have displaced a senior star in the games that lie ahead.
There has been no standout option on the left wing for United this season, with Jadon Sancho continuing to struggle for consistency while Marcus Rashford has largely been repurposed into a central role given the shortage of striking options.
It would still be a huge surprise if Garnacho were to keep his place in the line-up for the visit of West Ham this weekend, but it certainly isn't out of the question given how well he played.
This fairy-tale isn't finished yet, it has only just begun.
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