Just over a year after sharing a special moment with Erik ten Hag at Wembley, Kobbie Mainoo has been a shining light during a difficult season for Manchester United.
The teenager has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Old Trafford since making his first-team debut in a 3-0 win against Everton in November last year.
Mainoo has made 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring against Newport in the FA Cup third round and a dramatic last-minute winner against Wolves last month.
Ten Hag has trusted the 18-year-old to perform on the biggest stage and was rewarded with another fantastic performance in United’s epic 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final.
And it is not surprising that the Dutchman holds Mainoo in such high regard, given the way he spoke affectionately to him when United won the Carabao Cup at Wembley last February.
Erik ten Hag and Kobbie Mainoo (right) share a hug after United’s 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday
The pair shared a similar moment at Wembley last year after United won the Carabao Cup
After winning the Carabao Cup, Ten Hag spoke extensively with Mainoo, who was not part of his selection at the time
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After United beat Newcastle 2-0 to win their first trophy in six seasons, Ten Hag took the time to talk to Mainoo at length, despite the teenager not being part of the squad at the time.
Images show Ten Hag, with the winner’s medal still around his neck, on his way to Mainoo, before putting his arm around his neck and speaking animatedly for a few moments.
The young midfielder, who watched the final from the stands, nods approvingly at Ten Hag and smiles, before the United manager pats his head and walks on.
Last week, ten Hag was full of praise for Mainoo, but insisted the youngster needed to build his own identity after being compared to AC Milan great Clarence Seedorf.
Seedorf won 87 caps for the Netherlands and the Champions League with Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan in a stellar career.
‘I don’t think you should ever compare players with another player. Never. Because Kobbie Mainoo, but also other players, are building their own identity,” says ten Hag.
‘Don’t compare yourself to anyone. His skills are so typical. And it’s so Kobbie Mainoo, it has nothing to do with other players.
‘Of course he can learn from other players, especially from great players like Clarence Seedorf.
‘But Kobbie Mainoo is Kobbie Mainoo. He has great potential and I’m pretty sure he will have a great career.’
Together with Alejandro Garnacho, who is nine months older, Mainoo is both the present and the future of United.
The 18-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season for Manchester United
Mainoo was impressive again in Sunday’s epic 4-3 win against Liverpool in the FA Cup
Ten Hag has urged Mainoo (left) and Alejandro Garnacho (middle) to stay hungry to improve
Garnacho has started 29 of his 38 games in all competitions this season, but Ten Hag stressed that neither teenager should feel like their place in the team is guaranteed.
“Incredibly good,” said the United manager Rio Ferdinand said on TNT Sport when asked how the duo had performed this season.
‘But they (Garnacho and Mainoo) are just at the beginning of the journey, and that is what they need to understand.
“They are in the first team now, but coming here is much easier than staying here, and it will be a big battle for them (to be able to do that).”