Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored in last season's FA Cup final, so imagine if you told a Manchester United fan they could both leave in the summer of 2025 after that game.
They wouldn't have believed you, or they might have looked at you as if you were from Mars, but football has entered the Profit and Sustainability (PSR) era, meaning anything can happen.
It was the one-year anniversary of Garnacho, Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund perching themselves on the Stretford End electronic board in the first week of February and each of those young players were considered indispensable by United when that photo went viral on social media.
The landscape has changed in just 11 months. United no longer deem any player unsellable due to PSR constraints and the reality is an unpopular sale could happen in the summer window.
It feels like that 'unpopular sale' could be either Garnacho or Mainoo because academy graduates represent pure profit in the ludicrous PSR world, which essentially incentivises offloading homegrown talent.
The rules must be amended to prevent clubs from selling academy graduates because they go against the essence of football, but there is nothing imminent planned from the Premier League.
United have grown increasingly wary of operating within PSR, although they haven't been forced into a sale so far. Having said that, it feels like that moment could be on the horizon, as the club's financial results for the final few months of 2024 were recently published and made for bleak reading.
Ineos are penny-pinching in every single department to cut costs and that might not bode well for Mainoo, whose camp have been in talks over a new contract since March 2024.
Mainoo was linked to Chelsea in the January transfer window due to talks over his new deal stalling and fresh reports have emerged this week about him potentially leaving United.
It's understood [Mainoo would prefer to stay at his boyhood club](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kobbie-mainoo-stance-manchester-united-30744379), although that would require an improved contract offer and an agreement hasn't been reached over the last 12 months.
Mainoo's future has made headlines. (Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.)
United sources have previously said they do not want to drive Mainoo out of the club and it's important to note the player himself will currently be focussed on returning from an injury.
Mainoo is remarkably mature for his age and will concentrate on his football. His agent is responsible for contract talks and representatives act on the best interest of their client.
It feels like a compromise from both parties is required to ensure that Mainoo's long-term future is at Old Trafford. Mainoo deserves a higher salary because his wages do not reflect his importance to the squad, but United have a wage structure and could cash in £70million if they sold him.
The summer transfer window is around the corner and there will be no shortage of interest in a youngster who is the best midfield talent to emerge from United's academy since Paul Pogba.
Mainoo hasn't felt like a perfect fit for Ruben Amorim's system, which is another factor, but he sent a reminder of his quality when he starred in the 2-0 win over FCSB in the Europa League.
The 19-year-old started in the No.10 position, and he assisted and scored in Romania. The onus was on Amorim to find out which position suited Mainoo best in his system and it felt like he finally found the answer in Bucharest, but the Stockport-lad picked up an injury shortly after that.
Mainoo's season has been stop-start and some might have forgotten what a gifted young talent he is, which would be foolish. There are pros and cons to a potential sale of Mainoo, but the cons heavily outweigh the pros and it would be a huge kick in the teeth to see him leave the club.
Talks will continue over a new deal and there is still lots that must happen for Mainoo to leave this summer, but United can't make the mistake of not realising the type of player they have.
Mainoo has the qualities to be in the starting team for the next decade and become a future club captain, so United must make an appropriate contract offer or they risk him walking away.