Tahith Chong, James Garner and Mason Greenwood have all made first-team debuts under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the last year.
Brandon Williams joined that group when he replaced Phil Jones at half-time in the Carabao Cup tie against Rochdale in September.
After contributing to Greenwood’s opening goal, Williams’ encouraging performance convinced the boss to play him from the start in last week’s UEFA Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar – and the 19-year-old once again caught the eye of fans and team-mates alike.
“I thought he did brilliantly,” said Scott McTominay, who knows what it takes to make the transition from Academy to first team.