Kobbie Mainoo Shines in Manchester United's Midfield Rebuild
Kobbie Mainoo steals the show as United’s £150m midfield rebuild watches on
Manchester United have poured £150m into reshaping their midfield this summer. On Sunday, the best midfielder on the pitch cost them nothing at all.
Kobbie Mainoo, straight off the academy pitches of Cheadle and Stockport, ran the game in a 5-2 dismantling of Ipswich at Old Trafford. While the big-money signings circled around him, the 21-year-old played as if this stage had always belonged to him.
Harry Maguire, watching it unfold from behind him, could hardly contain his admiration.
“I thought he was brilliant, Kobbie,” the defender said. “To say he hasn’t played for I don’t know how long – not really got many minutes in pre-season and things like that, he was magnificent. He put a great shift in and I think his work without the ball has improved so much since Michael [Carrick, the manager] has been in.”
That last point mattered. United have not just been trying to buy a new midfield; they have been trying to build one that can hunt, press and dominate. In Maguire’s eyes, Mainoo has become the embodiment of that shift.
“That’s probably credit to Michael and his staff,” Maguire added. “But I think without the ball now, he’s becoming a real monster in there, and he wins a lot of second balls. He wins a lot of duels. You won’t want to play against him in there and that’s the biggest compliment I can give to him from playing and watching him behind.”
The numbers will say United hit Ipswich for five. The memory will be of a young midfielder snapping into tackles, hoovering up loose balls and then gliding away with the composure of a veteran. When the game quickened, Mainoo seemed to slow it down in his head. When it became scrappy, he relished the fight.
Maguire’s praise went beyond a single afternoon. This, he suggested, is the start of a long story.
“He’s so young, if we want him to play for this club for another 10 years, there’s going to be times where he’s going to go through a patch like with Rashy and myself, but that’s part and parcel,” he said. “I think he’s really level-headed, he’s really composed, he has great belief in his ability and, he’s going to be a magnificent player for this club for many, many years.”
United’s summer has been defined by chequebooks and negotiations. On Sunday, their future looked a lot simpler: a local lad, bossing the midfield, in a stadium he grew up dreaming about.
The club have spent £150m searching for control. It might already be wearing the No 17 shirt.
