Amad Diallo stood with his arms crossed by the corner flag, standing on business with an ice-cold celebration after firing Manchester United in front.

Initially he was mobbed by Sofyan Amrabat, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Scott McTominay, but there were two players in particular the Ivorian wanted to mark his goal with.

Over came Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, two of his closest friends in the United squad.

Garnacho, with his hands on his hips, and Mainoo, copying Amad’s arms crossed celebration, produced the photo of the night and one that has United fans daring to dream about the future.

‘We are young players, we are motivated to shine here and I hope to continue like this,’ Amad said following a 3-2 win, which was capped off by a goal from 21-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund.

Garnacho posted a different picture of the trio on Instagram, one of them during the lap of honour at the end. The caption was short and sweet: ‘Family’.

In Mainoo and Garnacho, both 19, and Amad and Hojlund, both 21, United have four key pillars for a youth revolution that can run riot at Old Trafford for years to come.

But of those four it is Amad who has had to be patient, first with injury and then with selection as he saw seven others get picked ahead of him at right wing.

It has proven a poisoned chalice of a position in recent times with Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Facundo Pellistri, Antony and Omari Forson among those to have tried to nail the spot down.

When Amad started on Sunday against Arsenal it was his first start for United in 887 days. In the space of four days he’s shown just how ridiculous it is that he was made to wait so long to be unleashed.

‘As a player you need to be patient,’ he said.

‘It’s not easy every time, you train hard but you don’t get what you want.

‘I was training every day hard waiting for my chance and today I get my chance and score and I’m very happy for that.

‘I go step by step, I know this year was not easy for me because I didn’t play a lot.

‘The most important thing was to go step by step and when you get your chance you fight for the team and help the team.’

Granted, the sample size is small in United colours for Amad but what he does have is something no-one else that has been deployed down that right side has shown with any consistency: directness.

For £86million that is the least you’d expect out of Antony and yet he continues to be predictably one footed.

Here it was darting runs inside and out, incisive pass-and-move plays, that set Amad apart. His injection of a burst of pace helped carve out the opening goal where his ball fortuitously made it through the crowd and to the feet of Mainoo, who slotted home.

‘It’s important to have Kobbie Mainoo in the team,’ Amad continued.

‘He’s a good player and I have a good relationship with him outside of the pitch, with him and Garnacho. We are happy to play together.’

Their burgeoning partnership is no accident.

‘In training we try to play together, to make that combination in training, when we play together like today we try and to make the same things,’ he added.

Whether Ten Hag, who has been incredibly reticent to play Amad, gets the chance to oversee his development from here remains unclear.

But what is abundantly clear after the last two matches is that United have a diamond in the rough that is worth polishing.

‘You see how young players are developing, like Amad, and I was really pleased with his performance and it was a great goal,’ Ten Hag said.

‘He is very good. He has high potential. He is a symbol for the season as he had a bad injury.

‘He fought himself back and had to wait long for his chance and, on Sunday, and also tonight, he was very good.’

All this talk of a transfer overhaul this summer may be overlooking the fact United have had a burgeoning superstar under their nose all along.