Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United have an “amazing talent” on their hands

Erik ten Hag on discovering and promoting Kobbie Mainoo

“The first time I saw him, playing for the second team, I thought, ‘OK, he’s an amazing talent’,” the Dutchman said.

“But he was too easy. I saw that we needed him to get in a higher intensity. We started to bring him in drills where we challenged him on dynamics.”

Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

United fans will be glad to hear that Ten Hag rates Mainoo so highly, as it suggests the club still hasn’t even seen the best of the 21-year-old.

Ten Hag recognising Mainoo’s potential and giving him the chance to play could end up being crucial in his career as he looks to continue his development under current manager Michael Carrick.

There was a period of time when Mainoo struggled for playing time under Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim, so it just goes to show that not every manager will be brave enough to gamble on young talents like this.