Manchester United has a long history of developing talented and intriguing players from its youth and assisting them in becoming important first-team regulars.

Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and countless others rose through the ranks at Old Trafford to become legends throughout their tenure with the team.

Even if the manufacturing line may not be as efficient as it once was, United has occasionally produced stars who excelled in the senior squad after rising through the academy.

One current star on Erik ten Hag’s team that came through the club’s development system and achieved great success in adult football is Marcus Rashford.

Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund Marcus Rasford Opinion
The Manchester-born genius, who has only ever played for United at the juvenile and senior levels, did not cost United any money in transfer fees to sign the England international. According to FootballTransfers, his current value is an astounding €75.8 million (£64.8 million).

The 18-year-old wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo is one player who is well on his way to following in Rashford’s footsteps; the Red Devils seem to have struck gold with the fantastic young player.

Rashford’s debut with the team

Since making his debut for United during the 2015–16 season, the 26-year-old dynamo has accrued 387 first-team appearances in all competitions.

The adolescent star made a grand entrance into adult football in 2016 when he made his debut in the Europa League against Midtjylland, scoring twice for Louis van Gaal.

Rashford has scored 128 goals and provided 74 assists for the Red Devils since that game, in addition to scoring 17 goals in 59 appearances for England.

The English jewel scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions last season, probably the best of his career under 10 Hag.

22–23 Premier League

Sofascore (via Marcus Rashford)

Looks

35

Objectives

17

xG

15.47

Helps

Five

Large opportunities generated

Five

Rashford’s ability to score goals and create goals at a remarkable rate gave the Dutch head coach a reliable danger at the top of the pitch, as the table above illustrates.

But because of his poor goal-scoring performance this season in the Premier League, he has not had as much luck finding the back of the net.

With an xG of 5.39, the seasoned forward has scored five goals with ease. This indicates that the United player, who excelled last term and finished over his xG, is now around average this time around.

Though Rashford only received two assists, he has already generated six more great chances than he did in the Premier League last season (five), suggesting that occasionally his teammates have let him down.

But Mainoo, an academy product whose worth has increased over the past 12 months after making the first squad, is a player who has not let United down.

The worth of Mainoo in February 2023

The young talent had not yet made his full senior debut when FootballTransfers estimated his xTV (Expected Transfer Value) at barely €200k (£171k) at this time last year.

Since the centre midfielder had not yet established himself in a first-team setting, his market value at the time fairly reflected the fact that he was still playing U23 football for United’s academy.

Last season, Mainoo had two cameos as a late substitute in the first team: one in the FA Cup against Reading and the other in the Premier League against Leicester.

hojlund, mainoo, Manchester United, and wolves
Nonetheless, the young genius did draw attention throughout three EFL Trophy performances. As the youthful ace displayed his defensive prowess, he recorded an astounding 6.6 tackles and interceptions per game and won 57% of his duels.

Along with his good performance off the ball, his 1.7 critical passes per game throughout those games demonstrated that he had the ability to give quality in possession to open up opposing teams.

At that moment, though, he had not yet shown himself at the senior level, and his performances for United during his breakthrough season this year have provided him with that opportunity.

The worth of Kobbie Mainoo right now

FootballTransfers presently values the 18-year-old genius at €10.2m (£8.7m), a startling rise from his €200k valuation just a year ago.

Indeed, a staggering 5000% increase from €200k to €10.2m has occurred, which aptly demonstrates why United has struck gold with the amazing prodigy, as his value has skyrocketed in tandem with his outstanding on-field exploits.

Manchester United’s mainoo, Liverpool Varane
The England U19 international has become an indispensable member of ten Hag’s first squad in recent weeks, and his current form makes him appear unstoppable.

This season, Mainoo has participated in 13 first-team games across all competitions for the squad. He has started all nine of his Premier League games, the most recent of which was on Sunday against West Ham United.

As you can see in the video below, the gifted player, who was reportedly called a “absolute baller” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, made headlines last week when he scored a spectacular goal in the 97th minute to help his team win 4-3 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Midlands.

He has also adapted well to the division’s roughness, as evidenced by his strong defensive performances in the EFL Trophy last season, where he had a 53% duel success rate in the top level over those nine games.

In addition to his 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game, the Carrington graduate is among the top 3% of Premier League midfielders in terms of clearances (3.02) per ninety.

Even at 5 feet 9 inches, Mainoo’s outstanding use of his body to outmanoeuvre opponents in the air is evident in his ranking among the top 11% of midfielders in the league for aerial fights won (2.01) per 90.

The English wizard, who is only eighteen, is already creating a name for himself at Old Trafford and has the potential to play a significant role for ten Hag for many years to come.

He still has a lot of time to grow, get better, and establish himself as the Red Devils’ star, much like Rashford did when he initially joined the squad in 2016.