Man Utd have another starlet with world class potential on their hands - if he's given chance to flourish

Well that's settled, then. Kobbie Mainoo must go to Euro 2024, and the FA must decide which plot of pavement outside Wembley will house his bronze likeness in half a century's time.

Hyperbole and hysteria aside, the Manchester United midfielder, still 23 days short of his 19th birthday, made his full England debut on Tuesday evening against Belgium, and looked so freakishly comfortable at the highest level that his performance was laced with a certain surreal quality. To see such a young talent ease so effortlessly away from established senior internationals, to watch him dissipate from danger like smoke through a butterfly net only to weight an exquisite pass into the path of a teammate, is to wonder whether the Three Lions might finally have found a suitable long-term partner for Declan Rice. There were moments during his 74 minute turn in which Mainoo really was that good.

A huge amount of credit must go to Erik ten Hag, the teenager's club manager, who has shown immense faith in a player so young, and who has sowed the seeds that Gareth Southgate may now reap. But by no means is Mainoo the only promising young talent at Old Trafford who has the potential to become world class.

It has been, for the most part, a frustrating season for Amad Diallo. Injuries and a lack of minutes have limited the Ivorian's visible progression at Old Trafford following a breakout loan stint with Sunderland last term, and there have been constant rumblings over his future in Manchester and whether he may indeed be punted out to some other fortunate beneficiary for another developmental stint away from the glare of the limelight.

But all of that mild exasperation melted away in United's last outing - indeed, their last moment - before the international break. It was Amad who streaked away alongside Alejandro Garnacho as the Red Devils mounted a counter-attack against an over-committed Liverpool, Amad who somehow managed to fire off an improvised shot that trickled over the line and sealed a historic FA Cup quarter-final victory in the dimming embers of extra time.

Due to the over-exuberance of his celebration - the second yellow card and subsequent red in the aftermath - Diallo will miss his side's next fixture, a Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday night. But following that, it is surely time for United to pull the trigger on his first team prospects. In Amad, they have a tricky, direct winger with the capability to knot legs like pretzels, and with an eye for goal that few in his position can earnestly match.

It is something that many around Old Trafford have recognised for a while. In the words of technical director Darren Fletcher: 'Straightaway you could see the high level of technical ability. Amad’s first touch is immaculate, there’s balance.' But for all of his promise, it has felt as if Diallo needed a spark to properly ignite his United career. His goal against Liverpool may well have been that moment.

By repeatedly showing his trust in Kobbie Mainoo, Ten Hag has proven that he is a firm believer in the well-worn 'if you're good enough, you're old enough' mantra. Hopefully, for both the player's sake and United's, Amad can be the next bright young thing to benefit from that forward-thinking stance.