Erik ten Hag has been granted one more chance to point to his greatest Manchester United success

A season that began with a rapid descent from ecstasy into agony will conclude in the emotional cauldron of tournament football for Kobbie Mainoo. Whatever happens from here it has been an astonishing breakthrough campaign for the Stockport teenager.

It was in Houston's imposing NRG Stadium last July that the value of Mainoo to Manchester United first became apparent. Those who had watched him steer the club to FA Youth Cup success and shine through the academy ranks knew there was a serious talent there.

People who had been paying closer attention also knew Erik ten Hag was a big fan. The Dutchman had sought the teenager out in his club suit on the Wembley pitch after the Carabao Cup win against Newcastle to tell him it wouldn't be long before occasions like this belonged to him. Even Ten Hag couldn't have believed it would happen this quickly.

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Fifteen months later Mainoo was upstaging his more gilded Stockport alumni Phil Foden in an FA Cup final. Now they could share a pitch in England colours in an international tournament.

After playing 87 minutes across three games in 2022/23, Mainoo was earmarked for a more prominent role this season. He impressed Ten Hag with his training performances at the start of pre-season, but it was when he was included in a strong team to face Real Madrid last summer that just how highly he was valued became clear.

That was the first friendly of the summer when Ten Hag picked what seemed to resemble his strongest team. He had Andre Onana in goal and Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in defence. Mason Mount, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford all started. But so did Mainoo, his presence in midfield meaning Fernandes moved to the right.

Unfortunately, Mainoo's night was over inside a couple of minutes after sustaining an ankle injury in a tussle with Rodrygo. It was a blow to the player and it turned out it was a blow to United as well. This wasn't a pre-season reward for a promising 18-year-old, as he was then, but a statement that he was part of the thinking for a first-team berth.

So it proved on his return. He was thrown back in rather than eased. His first competitive appearance of the season came from the start in the 3-0 win against Everton. His third start of the campaign was in the goalless draw at Anfield on December 17 and since then he's been benched only once, for the 1-0 FA Cup fifth-round win at Nottingham Forest.

It is staggering how quickly Mainoo has become an undroppable presence in the United midfield. He is comfortable receiving the ball in tight situations, has sublime footwork to engineer space and has an eye for goal, as his smart finishes against Wolves, Liverpool and Manchester City prove.

But he is strong defensively as well. He did a job on Erling Haaland from set-pieces at Wembley, using his physicality rather than his height to help shackle the Norwegian striker. That might be the point of difference that gets him into the England midfield when the tournament starts.

Ten Hag deserves credit for Mainoo's development. The Dutchman helped bring through some supreme talents at Ajax and it is perhaps telling that Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong haven't yet had the careers expected of them since departing Amsterdam.

Speaking in February, Mainoo detailed how Ten Hag had helped him since getting the United job and spotting the potential within the academy midfielder.

“He just wanted me to be more dominant and just demand the ball all the time,” said Mainoo. “And when I first came up with the first team, he told me he was going to push me and he did. He just always demanded more from me and just being involved in every play and just always getting on the ball.

“He’s been so helpful. And then always guiding me, as well as the senior players, and pushed me to help me keep developing and keep getting better and better. So all credit to him.”

All credit to him indeed. When Ten Hag found Mainoo amid the celebrations after winning the Carabao Cup, he told him that his day will come and trophies will follow. That prediction has already come true.

As Ten Hag sweats on Ineos' decision over his future, Mainoo's remarkable rise to an England tournament squad after just 35 senior appearances for United is a major feather in his cap and given what lies ahead for the 19-year-old, perhaps the manager's greatest Old Trafford success story.