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TIM HOWARD: I was lucky to play with Paul Scholes at Manchester United but Kobbie Mainoo should look to emulate an Arsenal star instead... plus the two coaches I'd like to replace Erik ten Hag
Very often, when it comes to the hype surrounding a young player, I will say: slow down. Pump the brakes. Don't put too much on their shoulders. Not in the case of Kobbie Mainoo.
Every generation will have a player who far surpasses their years in terms of intelligence on the pitch and maturity. He is doing that. He is managing the attention really well. At 19, the world is his.
Who knows what this Manchester United midfield will look like in years to come? But he will be the key cog.
He keeps the ball ticking over, he creates tempo, he gets about the pitch, he tackles and as he showed again against Manchester City that he clearly has an eye for goal.
Mainoo has come into a Manchester United team struggling for quality and consistency. But that adversity can help your growth - provided you can handle it. He can. And given how he will grow over the next four or five years, this could be a captain of Manchester United. I know that sounds crazy. But by the time he’s 24, he will have a hell of a lot of experience.
Kobbie Mainoo scored as Manchester United beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup final
DailyMail.com columnist Tim Howard
There have already been comparisons with Paul Scholes and after the FA Cup final, Scholes claimed Mainoo is ‘10 times the player I was at 19.’
It’s incredibly high praise. Because Scholesy was built different. I had the good fortune of playing and training alongside him. He was a special player. Paul’s passing range was incredible and he struck the ball harder than nearly anybody I've ever known.
If there was an opportunity to rifle a ball past the goalkeeper, he took it. Most of the time in training, even at the highest level, players will come off the gas and pass the ball into the net – almost as a professional courtesy.
There was never any of that with Scholesy. I remember a couple of times, when I left a rebound out in front, he would come on to it and try to take my head off.
He would never apologize. He didn't care. He would be tackling like you've never seen, too. He trained like an animal. He was cut from that cloth, having learned there was only one way to succeed at Manchester United.
Mainoo, pictured holding off Rodri at Wembley, shone at the heart of United's team
The promising teenager has already been compared to Manchester United icon Paul Scholes
Off the pitch, Scholesy was really hard to work out. And I don’t think he minds that.
He was incredibly quiet. He would say ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ but that's about it, honestly. Head down in the canteen, head down the dressing room, head down on the training pitch.
I can probably count on one hand the number of conversations I had with Scholesy in three years. He didn't speak with many people - Paul was close to Roy Keane, the Neville Brothers, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs... essentially the Class of 92 - plus a few add-ons! Those were the people he trusted, the people he came up with.
Mainoo is a product of the United academy, too. He has a similar stature. He's young. So it is an interesting comparison. But I don’t necessarily see it.
For me, there is another midfielder that Kobbie should look to for a blueprint on how to develop his game: Declan Rice.
Declan Rice has become more of an attacking threat since joining Arsenal from West Ham
He's had a breakout season at Arsenal because he's now been freed up to explore what it's like in the other penalty area. Kobe has the ability to do that, too.
Now it is up to his managers: can they allow him to do what he's great at - breaking things up, using his energy - but then also encourage him to get further forward?
I wouldn't be afraid to give him more licence and to expect more from him – in a United shirt and in an England shirt. Could he be an asset for Gareth Southgate at this summer’s Euros? Sure. This could be a good chance for him to get on that stage.
Is the expectation that he plays the full 90 minutes every game? Probably not. But is there a way that you can trust him in the middle of the park to solidify things, to allow Rice and Jude Bellingham to charge forward? That may be a revelation for England. Certainly, if I see him in an England shirt this summer, would I be worried? No, I'd be excited.
Erik ten Hag's future as Manchester United manager remains uncertain despite the FA Cup win
It is brilliant to win an FA Cup – especially against City. But the overall assessment this United team and Erik ten Hag has to be taken over the last 12 months. And so far, everything Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have done has been incredibly planned out.
I don't see a world where they get to the last kick of the ball of the season and think: now let's make a decision. I have said for a while that United need a change of manager. One game can’t save Ten Hag’s job.
Manchester United has always been built on performing consistently at a very high level. Every now and then, this team wants a pat on the back because they perform well. Well that's what is expected at United.
They need more of an identity. I used to think that new managers need a long time to change a team - three transfer windows, maybe, to get your players in and to implement your style. But that’s changed. Look at Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and Unai Emery at Aston Villa.
It can happen very quickly and United need that – they need an identity change, they need to get a ton of players out the door and quality ones in. But who? The coaching carousel is a bit chaotic at the moment.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank is among the names being linked with a move to United
Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea after only a single season in charge at Stamford Bridge
Kieran McKenna has been mentioned. So has Gareth Southgate, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Thomas Frank - basically anybody who's in vogue seems to get mentioned.
For me, the interesting ones are Frank and Pochettino. Pochettino has gravitas and an identity - it’s shocking that he's available.
And then there’s Frank. His teams are creative with set pieces, they build out of the back, they press at a really high tempo – and, without any disrespect, he's done that at Brentford.
Can you imagine what he could do with world class players?
There is no middle ground for Manchester United. Competing for the top four? Give me a break. They need to be competing for titles.