Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe has picked out Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo as two bright spots for the club this season.
Garnacho and Mainoo have both established themselves as first-team regulars at Old Trafford in the current campaign and they regularly make the difference for their club.
That’s against the backdrop of Erik ten Hag’s underwhelming second season with the team, where they are far from assured of securing European football next season, and struggled to get past Coventry City in an embarrassing FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout.
Speaking to BetVictor, Sharpe looked to the youngsters as a rare positive for United.
“Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have been the two shining lights for Manchester United this season,” he said.
“They’ve been a breath of fresh air. Mainoo has come in and hardly given the ball away, he looks as composed as a 30-year-old in midfield and has scored a couple of unbelievable goals. Garnacho has been the same, turning defence into attack and turning losses into wins with some superb goals. I think they’ve had to look to those young lads for inspiration this year.
“Fair play to Kobbie Mainoo for coming straight into the side and keeping experienced players like Christian Eriksen and Sofyan Amrabat out – I don’t think anybody expected it. What he’s been doing week in, week out has been fantastic. The goal he scored against Wolves just epitomised what he’s all about, in the heat of the battle he kept his composure and side footed it calmly into the bottom corner.
“He’s got himself in the team and now it’s just about consistency and longevity. It’s okay to come in and set the world alight for a few months but if he’s going to be one of the greatest, like everyone is saying he can be, then he needs to do it for 10 or 15 years.
"Now the question is whether he’ll keep his place if United go and bring in a new signing. You don’t want him to be written off after a couple of bad games or if he is out of the team for a few months because of new signings.”
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