Manchester United have a rich history of producing exciting and excellent players from their academy and helping them to progress and develop into key first-team regulars.
The likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville, among many, many, others came through the ranks to establish themselves as icons at Old Trafford throughout their time at the club.
Whilst the production line may not be what it once was, United have still had the occasional star who has come through the academy to shine in the senior squad.
Marcus Rashford is one current star in Erik ten Hag's squad who was developed by the club's youth set-up and has gone on to achieve great success in senior football.
The England international did not cost United a penny in transfer fees to sign as the Manchester-born wizard has only ever played for United, at youth and senior level, and he is now valued at a staggering €75.8m (£64.8m) by FootballTransfers.
One player who is well on his way to following in Rashford's footsteps is 18-year-old wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo, as the Red Devils appear to have struck gold with the terrific youngster.
Rashford's first-team journey
The 26-year-old dynamo has racked up 387 first-team appearances in all competitions for United since making his debut during the 2015/16 campaign.
He made his debut against Midtjylland in the Europa League in 2016 and scored twice for Louis van Gaal, as the teenage sensation marked his arrival in senior football in style.
Including that match, Rashford has gone on to produce 128 goals and 74 assists for the Red Devils, to go along with 17 goals in 59 caps for England.
Last season, the English gem was arguably in the form of his life as he fired in 30 goals and registered 11 assists in 56 outings in all competitions under ten Hag.
Appearances
35
Goals
17
xG
15.47
Assists
Five
Big chances created
Five
As you can see in the table above, Rashford provided the Dutch head coach with a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch with his ability to score and create goals at an impressive rate.
However, he has not found it as easy to find the back of the net this season in the Premier League as his form has dropped off in front of goal.
The experienced forward has smashed in five goals from an xG of 5.39. This means that the United star has gone from outperforming his xG with exceptional finishing last term to being roughly on par this time around.
However, Rashford has already created more big chances (six) than he managed in the Premier League last season (five) but has only been rewarded with two assists, which suggests that his teammates have let him down at times.
A player who has not let United down, though, is academy graduate Mainoo, whose value has soared over the last 12 months following his emergence in the first-team.
Mainoo's value in February 2023
At this time last year, FootballTransfers placed his xTV (Expected Transfer Value) at just €200k (£171k) as the young gem had yet to make his full senior debut.
The central midfielder was still playing U23 football for United's academy and his market value at the time reflected that, which is fair as he had yet to prove himself in a first-team environment.
Mainoo made two first-team appearances last season and both came as late substitute cameos – one against Reading in the FA Cup and one against Leicester in the Premier League.
The teenage whiz did, however, catch the eye in three EFL Trophy appearances. He made a staggering 6.6 tackles and interceptions per match and won 57% of his duels throughout those games as the young ace showcased his defensive capabilities.
His 1.7 key passes per game in those outings also showed that he had the potential to provide quality in possession to open up opposition teams to go along with his strong play off the ball.
He had yet to prove himself at senior level at that point, though, and his performances for United in his breakthrough season this term have done just that for him.
Kobbie Mainoo's current value
The 18-year-old wizard is currently valued at €10.2m (£8.7m) by FootballTransfers, which is a staggering increase from his value of €200k just 12 months ago.
In fact, it is a whopping rise of 5000% from €200k to €10.2m and this perfectly illustrates why United have struck gold with the impressive prodigy as his price has soared alongside his superb performances on the pitch.
The England U19 international has established himself as a key player for ten Hag in the first-team in recent weeks and looks undroppable on recent form.
Mainoo has played 13 first-team matches for the club in all competitions this season and has started all nine of his Premier League appearances, including most recently against West Ham United on Sunday.
The talented ace, who was once described as an "absolute baller" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, had his headline moment against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week with a stunning 97th-minute winner to secure the 4-3 victory for his side in the Midlands, as you can see in the clip below.
He has also adapted well to the physicality of the division, as his impressive defensive displays in the EFL Trophy last season suggested he would, with a duel success rate of 53% in the top-flight across those nine outings.
The Carrington graduate has made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game and, impressively, ranks within the top 3% of Premier League midfielders for clearances (3.02) per 90.
Despite standing at 5 foot 9, Mainoo also ranks within the top 11% of midfielders in the league for aerial battles won (2.01) per 90, which speaks to his impressive use of his body to get the better of his opponents in the air.
At the age of 18, the English maestro is already making a name for himself at Old Trafford and could be a big player for ten Hag for many more years to come.
He has plenty of time left to develop and improve and establish himself as a star for the Red Devils, as Rashford has since his emergence in the first-team in 2016.