The Only Constant is Change: How Time Turned a Moment of Hope into a Lesson in Reality
They say the only constant in life is change — and football, perhaps more than anything else, proves it.
When this picture was taken on that crisp February afternoon in 2024, Manchester United fans dared to dream. Here were three young stars — Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Kobbie Mainoo — sitting shoulder to shoulder on the Old Trafford advertising boards, grinning like the future was theirs to take. They were supposed to be the cord that would hold the team together for years, the embodiment of a new era.
Højlund had just opened the scoring, Garnacho had struck twice, and Mainoo — the academy jewel — was already showing the poise of a seasoned midfielder. Their ages, their talent, their chemistry — it all felt like the start of something lasting.
But football’s script is rarely so kind.
Fast forward, and the journey of the three has been anything but smooth. Two are gone, and the one who remains has asked to leave on loan.
- Rasmus Højlund arrived with the weight of expectation, a marquee signing meant to lead the line for a decade. But the goals dried up, the confidence waned, and the pressure of Old Trafford proved unforgiving. By the summer of 2025, he was on his way to Napoli, a move that felt more like escape than opportunity.
- Alejandro Garnacho, electric on his day, became as famous for his moments of brilliance as for his lapses in discipline. Behind the scenes, clashes with management and questions over his professionalism overshadowed his talent. The promise of his early days gave way to frustration, and a big‑money move to Chelsea ended his United chapter.
- Kobbie Mainoo, the last man standing, found himself on the fringes under a new manager. Despite his potential, opportunities dwindled, and the hunger for regular football led him to request a loan away from the club he once dreamed of captaining.
That photo — once a symbol of hope — now feels like a time capsule. A reminder that in football, as in life, nothing is guaranteed. The faces change, the dreams shift, and the only thing that endures is the game itself.
For the fans, it’s bittersweet. They remember the roar of the Stretford End that day, the belief that the future had arrived. And maybe, in that moment, it had. But time moves on, and so do the players.
What remains is the lesson: cherish the highs, because they never last forever.
