Manchester United are seeing Kobbie Mainoo excel in the first team this season, but not everybody can have such a meteoric rise from the youth setup.
Mainoo is earning praise from all corners right now and the sky appears to be the limit for him.
Mainoo has joined Marcus Rashford as a United youth product thriving at first-team level but others have had to move on.
Just look around the Premier League and you will see a number of former United talents who had to quit Old Trafford for first-team action elsewhere.
Anthony Elanga, James Garner, Sam Johnstone, Teden Mengi and Michael Keane all spring to mind having failed to make the grade at United.
Then there are players who head abroad – and one player is really starting to fulfil his potential in France.
Angel Gomes praised
United once had very high hopes for Angel Gomes.
The playmaker joined United at the age of just six and showed huge potential in the youth ranks but made only 10 first-team appearances.
Gomes decided to quit United in 2020 as his contract expired, paving the way for a move to Lille.
After a loan spell in Portugal with Boavista, Gomes has become a key man for Lille whilst playing as a number 10 – as United fans may remember him – and even in deeper roles.
Gomes has added to his game in France and was recently praised by Ian Wright, who suggested that the 23-year-old just isn’t receiving enough praise for his development.
Lille boss Paulo Fonseca has now delivered his verdict on Gomes, telling BBC Sport that he thinks the former United ace is a ‘big talent’.
Fonseca believes that Gomes is possibly his most intelligent player and understands the game at a quicker speed than his teammates.
Fonseca added that Gomes can take a ‘big step’ in his career having shown ‘big technique’ during his time in Ligue 1, making him difficult to tackle.
“Angel is maybe the most intelligent player I have in my team,” said Fonseca. “He understands faster than the others everything about the game, he loves the game, he loves to learn and he is a player with big skills, big technique. He is a player who under pressure it is not easy to steal the ball off him and who discovers the space so easily.”
“He is young, he has a big talent. I believe with the right coach, with the right project, with the right game for him, he can have a possibility to have a big step in his career,” he added.
United should keep tabs on Gomes
Leaving United doesn’t always mean that the door is closed for a return down the line.
Paul Pogba is proof of that having quit in 2012 only to return from Juventus four years later.
Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans are both in their second spells at United right now, so who can truly rule out Gomes coming back one day?
A homegrown talent with plenty of quality on the ball, Gomes has added new strings to his bow, especially having shown his capabilities in more defensive roles.
Ineos will be well aware of Gomes having seen him come up against Nice, one of their other clubs, and having their eyes on young, talented, English players should be a priority in this new United era.