Young Kobbie Mainoo was delighted after speaking with Erik ten Hag on the Wembley field in February.
During the celebrations after United's victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, Mainoo and Ten Hag were seen sharing a moment during which the manager gave the academy product some advise.
Mainoo smiled as Ten Hag stood with his arm around his shoulder. A few weeks prior to that chat, the 18-year-old was given his professional debut against Charlton, and it was followed by his debut in the Premier League.
Last year, Mainoo won the FA Youth Cup, and he has had a memorable year. The midfielder was recognized last week with an award because he is thought to be Manchester United's academy's top potential in his age group.
The youngster from Stockport was the most recent student to be chosen the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year, and he received the trophy at halftime of the season's penultimate match against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Alejandro Garnacho, the last award winner, was cited by Ten Hag as an example of a path to the first team, and Mainoo has been named as the next talent to close the gap, something that every academy player strives to do.
Even though every young player in the academy hopes to play for the first team, in reality, very few do. Mainoo has performed admirably to reach this point, and others perceive him to be a sensible individual.
People who know him well describe him as a pleasant, grounded young man. He is currently working for a manager who recognizes the value of giving young players a chance since it is woven into the fabric of the organization.
"I know the culture of Man United, I knew before. Of course, I was long employed in youth football," Ten Hag said this month. "Man United has a big history of youth development and to develop them and progress them into the first team."
"When I was at Ajax, it was the same as Man United in developing young players, giving young players opportunities to work on their personality if they feel that they are good people and they have a good life and they can contribute to society."
"But we want to develop players into the first team. So I think we are also in that perspective in a good way: Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo is also on his way. There is a pathway to the first team but they have to deserve it."
Mainoo has earned his opportunity with the first squad, and he is eager for more. Although some have indicated that a loan could be the ideal next step for his growth, it appears more likely that he will stay with the team for the upcoming season.
The success of Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez's loans to Birmingham and Preston, respectively, this season has significantly profited from their departure, but Ten Hag prefers to keep a few young players in the team.
While Ten Hag is the club's manager, academy players will continue to be developed in a first-team setting. That is his preference, and the method has been supported by Garnacho's amazing, ongoing development.
Garnacho and Mainoo have quite distinct personalities, but they both share talent. Ten Hag's remarks imply that Mainoo will similarly be purposefully maintained around the first team as has been done with the Argentine.
Though it is anticipated that Mainoo will soon be best suited to specialize in the No. 8 midfield position, United knows they have a gift on their hands in the youngster regardless of the specific position he chooses.
But Erik Ten Hag still has a major Amad Diallo's problem to solve next campaign.
Amad was on loan from Manchester United to Sunderland at the time, and Erik ten Hag acknowledged he had "a little bit of reservation" about bringing him back to Manchester United.
The Ivorian was playing his finest football of his young career at the moment and was on his way to assisting Sunderland in making the Championship Playoffs. As the Reds struggled to score goals without Marcus Rashford, some United supporters urged Ten Hag to bring Amad back.
However, Ten Hag remained firm. "We consider everything, but I have a little bit of reservation about that because I don’t want to stop the process," he said.
"He's made really good progress there so I’m happy with that. When we decide for him to come back, he has to be a player who can compete for the starting line-up or come on for a lot of games and make an impact."
Erik Ten Hag made it quite apparent that United is open to including Amad in their first-team plans for the upcoming campaign. The winger will reportedly travel with the Reds on their US trip, while Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga will probably be shipped out.
However, it's unclear if Amad will consider this to be sufficient. The 20-year-old appeared to indicate his desire to rejoin Sunderland for the upcoming campaign on Sunday, should they decide to keep Tony Mowbray as manager.
Who could blame him, really? Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Alejandro Garnacho would all likely be ahead of him in the pecking order even if United let go of Pellistri and Elanga.
He will undoubtedly play a significant role for Sunderland, one of the front-runners to be promoted to the Premier League. This has all of a sudden become a problem for Ten Hag.
Amad will consider if it makes sense for his career to have such a successful loan period and yet wind up in the same position he was in before his journey to Wearside, despite the fact that it is his desire to play for United. The Ivorian may now only be persuaded to stay if Ten Hag promises him minutes before one of the team's established players.
Regrettably for Amad, it seems improbable that Ten Hag would keep such a significant pledge. The next best thing, though, could be to assure the child that Manchester United is the ideal place for him to be for his development.
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