Manchester United will be handed £100m FFP bonus from nightmare season

Searching for positives in this Manchester United season is becoming increasingly difficult. You could probably make a case for Andre Onana, perhaps for Rasmus Hojlund. The FA Cup could yet prove unexpected salvation. But the legacy of this campaign will be what it delivers in years to come, as Erik ten Hag touched on recently.

The injury crisis that has plagued United almost constantly this term has limited Ten Hag's options, but it's also offered up opportunities to youngsters and for the last two weeks United have fielded three teenagers in their starting XI, with Willy Kambwala joining Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in the team.

Garnacho's promise has simply been fulfilled this season and for all that his social media activity on Saturday caused a stir, that was the 30th successive game he has started in all competitions. Ten Hag deserves credit for allowing the Argentine's talent to shine and he deserves even more credit for throwing Mainoo in at the deep end and allowing him to swim.

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The 18-year-old has been exceptional this season and is now a more vital cog in that midfield than Casemiro. He would have played more often but for the ankle injury sustained against Real Madrid in pre-season.

But if Garnacho's involvement was a given and Mainoo's opportunities were also on the cards, it has come sooner than expected for Kambwala, who has been the beneficiary of a defensive injury crisis that has rarely abated.

The French teenager isn't the real deal yet but then which 19-year-old centre-back is? He has also come into a team that offers such little protection to their defence that the position should come with its own health warning.

On a couple of occasions against Liverpool and Bournemouth, he was dragged deep into opposition territory because Diogo Dalot was out of the game. He won a ferocious duel with Luis Diaz on one occasion but was too easily bypassed at the weekend for another Cherries counter.

He found it difficult to keep Dominic Solanke quiet on the south coast, but he isn't the only Premier League centre-back to struggle with that assignment this season. He was left isolated against Solanke for the first goal after United's wretched attempts to play out from the back and then slipped at a crucial moment.

But generally, he has defended well. His recovery pace against Darwin Nunez at Old Trafford was exceptional and he has been trusted in the build-up, perhaps too much given the lack of structure when United play out has left him short of passing options.

Ten Hag was asked about Kambwala after his performance against Liverpool and spoke about how positive the future is with the players coming through at Old Trafford.

"When old soldiers die, new ones have to come in," explained Ten Hag. "Willy for a long time is training with us, he started at West Ham and did very good, his progress is amazing, we didn’t have any doubts.

"We were convinced he could do the job, it’s another signal and message for the future of Manchester United. This team and squad has high potential. The future will be very good."

Whether Ten Hag gets to oversee that future is looking more and more unlikely. If he is replaced this season then the next man in charge will be thankful to inherit talent of the quality of Kambwala, Mainoo and Garnacho.

The development of the first two this season is a major bonus ahead of what is shaping up to be a testing summer. United are going to miss out on the revenue that comes with Champions League football and are still battling concerns over the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The emergence of Kambwala will mean United can use the youngster to fill the fourth or fifth centre-back slot in the squad, rather than using some of their transfer budget on signing a more experienced option. That will be vital in what is expected to be a summer of upheaval at the back, with Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane out of contract and the future of Harry Maguire still uncertain.

United will still pursue another centre-back and depending on the future of Casemiro, a holding midfielder might be necessary as well, but in Mainoo they have a player of real quality to fill one of the starting midfield slots already.

A year ago neither Kambwala nor Mainoo had made the step up. Now, both look ready to be part of the first-team squad. That is likely to be a £100million saving, at least, in the transfer market and after a disappointing season on the pitch, it's the kind of bonus that is badly needed ahead of the summer.