Erik ten Hag will not be afraid to turn to Kobbie Mainoo should Manchester United‘s midfield crisis continue to bite.
Suspension to Casemiro, plus injuries to Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay, leaves Ten Hag with just Fred and new signing Marcel Sabitzer as United’s experienced hands ahead of a decisive stage of their season.
However, Stockport starlet Mainoo, is fast emerging as a player Ten Hag can also rely on.
Handed his first team debut against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup quarter final win last month, many staff thought the 17-year-old was ‘unlucky’ not to have been given his bow before then. He played just over an hour before being replaced by Casemiro, the serial winner he admits to studying closely.
A key part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup against Nottingham Forest last season, Mainoo has continued on an upward trajectory.
As well as impressing Ten Hag in training, he was recognised as man of the match in a behind closed doors friendly with Everton during the World Cup and scored against Cadiz during United’s warm weather training camp in December.
Strong, quick, and without fear, Mainoo originally played for Cheadle and Gatley juniors before being picked up by United at the age of nine. He has drawn comparisons to another former United academy graduate, Paul Pogba, but recognises he still has plenty of room to grow both physically and in ability.
Indeed, for all the praise he is receiving, one of Mainoo’s greatest assets, staff say, is his willingness to listen.
Defender Harry Maguire notably took time to ease the youngster’s nerves ahead of his January debut and Mainoo gave credit to his established teammates afterwards, saying: ‘I’ve been in training with the lads quite a few times. They all made me feel welcome and all gave me words of advice and encouragement. So I felt at home.
‘To be able to follow Casemiro closely and watch him in training is an honour and for him to come on for me is crazy.
‘I looked at the teamsheet and I was starting. I was a bit shocked but I had to do my job. Yeah, there were some butterflies, but it was more exciting.’
Several of Europe’s elite teams had been monitoring Mainoo’s progress following some of his performances in the UEFA Youth League, mindful that his pathway could become complicated as United try again for big names such as West Ham’s Declan Rice this summer, but the homegrown teenager’s allegiance to United has never come into question.
‘To stay around the first team and to keep on getting more games is the ultimate goal,’ he said. ‘I want to stay at this club, I’ve been here my whole life.’
As his idol Casemiro takes a backseat, Mainoo may now get his chance to shine against fierce rivals Leeds United on Wednesday night.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
